My Experience Getting A Lash Lift!

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Photo by Perchek Industrie on Unsplash

Hey y’all!

So to start off, its actually been a while since I got my first lash lift — I actually wrote this post in late November, however, I had all my next few posts already planned out until January so I decided to save it for a little later on. No worries, though — I wrote this just hours after may appointment so it was all still fresh in my mind! So, if you’ve been curious about lash lifts in the past, hopefully this answers a few of your questions!

Research First!

Something that’s important to consider before any serious beauty appointment is to look into the best, safest places to get your procedure done. This goes for all kinds of related things; such as microblading, injections, lash extensions, facials, etc. It might seem a little excessive, but since lash lifting deals with your (very sensitive) eye area, you really want a pro doing it. Better safe than sorry, am I right?

After looking into it a little, I found a nearby aesthetician who came highly rated and really only specialized in lash lifting (which was reassuring to me, since it meant she would be highly skilled and well-practiced). If you live in Vancouver, you can find her at Yumi Studios and if you’re thinking of trying this procedure out, I couldn’t recommend her more. She was extremely professional and gentle, and my lashes turned out WAY better than lash lifts usually look in photos.

The Lash Lift

The day of, I showed up sans-makeup and contacts, as recommended. If you’re getting this done, I’d also definitely suggest washing your hair and face beforehand, as you aren’t supposed to wet your lashes for the following 24-48 hours.

When I showed up at Yumi Studios (which was run out of the aesthetician’s apartment) I took in my surroundings and was impressed by the cleanliness and professional vibes from the space — which is really important to me before I trust someone with my lashes. She had me lie down and get comfortable on a bed complete with support pillows and a heating pad — which was super nice considering she told me to expect the appointment would be about two hours long.

If you’ve never heard about lash lifts before, they’re essentially little perms for your lashes with tinting to follow. They essentially make it appear as if you have the worlds longest, most healthiest lashes (and eliminate the need for mascara!). They don’t give quite as dramatic an effect as lash extensions do, but unlike lash extensions, they’re fairly low maintenance, less damaging, and they don’t look so obvious as they fall out. (Plus, I’m waaaaay too in love with false lashes to ever give up on them).

The procedure starts off with placing little rubber covers over your eyelids, and brushing your lashes up onto them. From there, several layers of different products are applied to help curl and tint your lashes. Majority of the reason it takes so long to complete is that there’s a lot of sitting around waiting for products to work their magic — as well as the time and care my aesthetician spent brushing my lashes perfectly into place.

My two biggest fears going into this were being allergic to the products, and it being uncomfortable having someone touch my eyes. However, I can safely say now I had nothing to be worried about. I do have a tendency to be really sensitive to products, so when the perm chemicals were applied to my lashes caused my lash line to tingle a little, I started to freak out a bit internally. However, this feeling was little more than a tingle (it really didn’t hurt at all), and went away after a couple of minutes. By the time I was done, my eyes were not the least bit sore, red, or swollen — I figured they would be at least a little irritated, but that was not the case. If you’re considering this for yourself, be sure to do a little research on the products your aesthetician uses beforehand if you’re sensitive/allergic to certain chemicals and materials. All the products used on my eyes today were 100% natural and vegan — however, some places use a lot harsher and unnatural chemicals to create the permed curl. However, as long as it’s a safe, clean environment and you don’t have any specific sensitivities, you should be just fine.

As for the whole part where someone had their hands around my eyes for two hours — it really wasn’t uncomfortable at all! In fact, I actually found it pretty relaxing. My aesthetician was so incredibly gentle, I never once felt any discomfort. I know people say lash lifts and extensions are no where near as uncomfortable as you’d expect — but you don’t really realize how true that is until you take the leap for yourself.

The Benefits

So, why lash lifts? They’re still a pretty new and uncommon procedure, especially compared to lash extensions or tinting. However, I have a couple reasons for choosing this specific procedure.

First off, compared to lash tinting — lash lifts have all the benefits of this procedure and more. As someone who has rather long, blond, straight lashes, a lash tint would probably help my lashes appear a little more full, but wouldn’t do much for me otherwise. Seriously, without an eyelash curler my lashes are straight as a pole — if I apply mascara without curling them first, they still hardly even appear. If you have naturally beautiful and curled lashes, tinting would likely work a lot better for you overall. I, on the other hand, never realized how long my lashes actually were until today — but I’m loving their new look!

Second of all, why not extensions? I have a few reasons for that, honestly. First of all, lash extensions are SO high maintenance. While you only have to go in for touch ups on a lash lift every 2-3 months, lash extensions more a less have to be touched up every couple weeks. As well, there’s so much extra care involved — you have to constantly brush out your lashes, avoid getting them wet, and you can’t even sleep on your stomach — which I’m incapable of not doing. Lash lifts, on the other hand, require much less maintenance — you’re supposed to brush them out occasionally over the first 48 hours, and avoid wetting them, but after that you’re good to go. It’s recommended you add serum or castor oil to your nightly routine as well — but I already did that, so its nothing additional to my current day-to-day.

Lash extensions can also be incredibly damaging to your natural lashes, unlike lifting. Basically everyone I know has or had lash extensions, but I’ve had so many friends complain or had to stop over damage to their lashes. The extensions falling out can often cause your real lashes to fall out — and potentially damage the hair follicle below. Once your lash lift is complete, your lashes will continue to fall out in their regular cycle — meaning there should be no damage done afterwards.

Finally, and to me, most importantly — you’re really not supposed to wear makeup with lash extensions. Excess water or scrubbing can cause them to fall off, which means you have to be SUPER careful if you’re removing makeup, or even washing your face. While I could maybe forgo eye makeup on a regular day with extensions, I really wouldn’t want to give up doing my eyeshadow and liner on occasion. With lash lifts, after 24 hours you’re good to go live life and apply makeup as normal — which is a huge plus for me. Does all this mean I’m never going to try lash extensions? Maybe, maybe not. But for right now, getting a lift makes to most sense for my own personal lifestyle. That being said, if you have lash extensions or are thinking of trying them, by all means go for it! However, if you’re looking for something a little lower maintenance, maybe lash lifting is exactly what you need.

The Results

Honestly, I was blown away when I looked at myself in the mirror following my procedure. I honestly couldn’t stop staring at my new lashes, as self-absorbed as that may seem. Not only did they look fantastic, they looked incredibly natural — my lashes actually appeared longer than they do with just mascara, plus there’s no clumping whatsoever. While it does lack the added volume of mascara, you can always apply it on top anyway — but the tint and spread of my lashes makes them look fuller than they ever have naturally. Overall, I was just completely blown away — I already know I’m going to go back the second my natural lashes start to grow back in.

The best part about writing this post so far in advance is that I also get to share with you how my lift lasted with time! So now lets jump ahead to the future — it’s now been a few months since my first lift, and I’m officially sold for life. Even though it doesn’t give as intense an effect as lash extensions (especially since my normal lashes are a little sparse) it definitely helps with avoiding daily makeup and just overall makes my lashes look curled and beautiful and makes me look fresh and awake. I absolutely love this treatment and I’m absolutely sure I’m going to be getting them for a loooooong time to come.

And there you have it! If you’ve been curious about lash lifting, or didn’t even know what it was previously, I hope you learned a lot from this post! (As well, if you’re located in Vancouver, be sure to check out my lash tech, Jag Sangara-Gill, she really was the best!). If you’ve been considering getting this procedure done and have more questions for me about my experience, be sure to drop a comment, message, or reach me on twitter at @lifewmeredith.

I hope you guys all had a lovely week, and have had a great start to the new year! Stay tuned for my next Favourites post coming this Thursday.

Xo,

Meredith

HOW TO: Keep It Together During Busy Weeks

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Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

Hey y’all!

Sooooo, once again, I’m delaying my Lash Lift post. I know, and I’m sorry! At this point I’ve had it done — I just really want the time to take good photos where you can see the effects and really perfect the post for you guys. It’s a post that’s been a long time in the making, so I just want to be sure it’s the absolute best and most informative it can be!

That being said, unfortunately, I’ve still been having a crazy week (clearly…my apologies for the delayed post — again! I swear this is the last time it’s going to happen). Between having a term paper due Thursday, Poetry class assignments (also due Thursday, because of course), a crazy busy week at work (between the amount of Canucks games, Lacrosse games and UFC Fights this week, its been a little overwhelming) and getting ready for my trip to Mexico (!!!) exactly one week today — I have been overwhelmed as heck.

Since I once again had to delay the post I had planned, I figured I’d share with you a little list of ten tips on how I’ve been surviving this week! Hopefully, for those of you with crazy weeks of your own coming up, you’ll find some advice here that’ll help you get through the busy and stressful times and make it to the other side in once piece.

  1. Get some sleep!!! It’s tempting to stay up super late to get everything done, especially when you’re on a roll. But not only will you end up regretting it the next day, but it’ll slowly start to build up and take more of a toll as time wears on — making it harder for you to keep up.
  2. Make sure you’re eating regularly. This one may seem super obvious — but when you’re having a really long day and feel like absolute garbage and can’t quite figure out why — you probably just need to eat more. Plan ahead for days when you know you may have to delay meals (for me, this is longer work days) and stock up on some snacks. My personal fave to get through long shifts are Clif Bar’s Nut Butter and Fruit Smoothie filled granola bars — soooooo good.
  3. Make sure you’re still keeping in touch with friends and family — you really need that support.
  4. Set aside daily time for self-care, but don’t overdo it! Taking time to take care of yourself is a necessity — but there’s a line between what you need and just procrastinating. If you’re having a ridiculously busy week, try to limit yourself to maximum one hour a day. You can always make up for it next week if you need to! But anything more than that may just be a guise to put off important tasks. If you need good self-care ideas to formulate a structured one-hour plan, be sure to check out my list here!
  5. Plan everything out well in advance. Even if you don’t follow the plan to a T (stuff always goes wrong — you can’t sweat it!) just having everything written down will ensure you don’t forget anything.
  6. On that note, be sure to limit tasks that need to be done ASAP to busy weeks — everything else can be taken care of later. Even things that feel super important to you and keeping your life together, such as cleaning, meal prepping, laundry, etc., can slide for a few days if it helps you complete all your tasks on time. Just remember — it’s all about balance!
  7. Obvious one — but stay hydrated.
  8. If you have a lot of tasks that are going to take a while to complete, try to break them up into smaller segments and switch it up every few hours. Maybe it’s just me, but I find this really helps me avoid burning out.
  9. Don’t overdo it on caffeine! It’s hard, I know. Sometimes during the crazy weeks it feels like that coffee is LITERALLY the only thing that’s going to help you survive the next few hours. However, if you’re already feeling kind of exhausted, you don’t want all that caffeine to impact your sleep. Even if you’re still falling asleep quickly, too much coffee can impact your quality of sleep — meaning you won’t wake up feeling refreshed and ready the next day. (If you really feel you can’t go without it, try decaf! If nothing else, hopefully the placebo effect will have you convinced it’s what you need).
  10. Be sure to reward yourself for completing tasks. You’ve been having a rough week — you deserve it! Not only that, but rewarding yourself for checking tricky tasks off your checklist will help to incentivize you to keep going. (It’ll also help to refresh you so you don’t feel like the week is one never-ending struggle — you need breaks!). Try to stick to little rewards after each task, and try to take a whole day off after you finish everything up — you need it! Take the day to relax and catch up on all the self-care, sleep, and alone time you’ve missed since your life got so hectic.

Happy Sunday everyone, and hopefully this next week goes well for you all! (And if it DOES happen to get a little intense, at least you have a little advice that’ll help make it easier!). If you have any other advice that helps you get through the tough times, or just want to vent about the week you’re having, drop a comment below! This week is going to be a bit of an intense one, but once I make it through to the other side I get to head down to Puerto Vallarta for a week, which is making it all worth it. Be sure to stay tuned for next week’s post about my experience getting a Lash Lift (seriously this time, I promise!) as well as TWO new travel posts coming out in the following weeks.

Here’s to surviving this week — or even thriving, if you’re lucky! I hope you all achieve your goals — we’re almost halfway through February, after all!

Much love,

Meredith

Thursday Favourites: February 6th

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Hey y’all!

So, as many of you may remember, Glow Recipe was one of my top 5 brands I was dying to try in 2020. Well, if you’ve been keeping up with my latest Sephora haul, you’ll know that I’ve already gotten the chance — and needless to say, I’m obsessed. If you’re into skincare, you’ll already know it’s just about impossible to not find posts all over the internet absolutely raving about Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask. After seeing this product (and it’s numerous glowing reviews) all over the internet, I knew I just had to try it out for myself.

This uber-lightweight mask lists it’s benefits as “a skin-smoothing, radiance-boosting nightly sleeping mask with watermelon, hyaluronic acid, and AHAs that gently exfoliate and refine the look of pores” on Sephora’s website. Not only does it note it’s suitability for all skin types, it also notes that it is gentle enough to be used as an overnight mask, but also has the option to be used as a 10-minute wash-off mask for those with more sensitive skin.

I won’t lie, I was pretty nervous to test this mask out — not only were my expectations very high, but I do have sensitive skin so I was worried it would impact my complexion negatively. For this reason, I’ve only ever used it as a 10-minute mask — which so far, has worked perfectly for me. I was a little skeptical of the idea of an overnight mask starting out — I absolutely despise sleeping on my back, and I didn’t really see how any mask (save for those that are really just extreme moisturizers) could last all night and still require a wash-off in the morning. However, for those of you who’d be interested in using this mask overnight, fear not — it dries into a gentle layer of non-sticky, non-tightening solution, meaning you can sleep on your face and not worry about this mask rubbing off all over your pillowcase.

Now, it’s only been about a month since I purchased this mask, but it really does live up to the standards and rave reviews that drew me in to trying it in the first place. Not only does it do an amazing job of gently resurfacing (meaning you don’t have to worry about exfoliating as often!), it leaves my skin feeling bouncy, smooth, hydrating and fresh. Seriously, my skin was SO soft and glowy, even after the very first use — it honestly blew my mind a little.

Overall, I have to say, I adore this mask. So far, none of my concerns about it have come to fruition, but all the benefits have worked their wonders exactly as everyone says. The texture is so bouncy and lightweight, making it easy to apply and lovely to wear — and as an added bonus, the watermelon scent is to die for. My only remaining concern is that it DOES contain alcohol in it’s formulation; however, as the last ingredient on the list, I have to believe it’s only the smallest amount. So far, it’s had the opposite of a drying effect on my skin, so I don’t think that there’s enough alcohol in this product to cause any harm — but of course, I’ll keep you updated if I notice any changes!

Sound like the face mask your skin has been needing? Be sure to check out this product on Sephora’s website here!

Have you tried Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask, or anything else off their line? I’d love to hear any and all opinions you guys have — especially if you’ve tried their other products! I’ve been eyeing a couple other items their brand offers for a while now, so I’d love to hear some reviews before I take the leap and try them!

I hope you’re all having a fantastic week, and your first week of February is going well! Personally, I have a crazy busy week ahead — I have a term paper due and I’m preparing for my upcoming trip to Mexico (!!!) so it’s safe to say it’s going to be a long week. Buuuuut, when it’s over I do get to go away on vacation, so it’s all worth it in the end.

Much love,

Meredith

HOW TO: Have The Perfect Self-Love Valentine’s Day!

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Hey y’all! Happy Sunday!

It’s officially the first Sunday of February and you all know what that means — Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. For some, this is met with excitement, but for others this holiday just leads to a lot of dread. Those of us who are single (and yes, I can definitely relate) often end up feeling lonely around this time of year — when really, being single is something I personally think should be celebrated! (In the wise words of Cher — a man is a luxury, not a necessity).

Over the years, I’ve really come to dislike negative attitudes that persist around February and being single. I really do grow tired of hearing complaints and the term “Singles Awareness Day” — when really, there’s nothing wrong with being single. While I’ll admit, I used to be a little bitter about it, I’ve recently realized just how important being single is to me right now — I have gone through so much growth and so many changes lately, I wouldn’t want anyone else defining my life right now or limiting my options of what comes next. This isn’t to say that I never want to be in a relationship, but this current time in my life is rather crazy, revolutionary and just straight up busy — and I’m hoping to come out the other side as the best possible version of myself. Then — and only then — will I really feel ready to settle down.

But for those of us focusing on ourselves right now — that doesn’t mean we have to miss out on feeling the love this February! And besides — who better to plan out and execute your perfect Valentine’s Day other than yourself, right? So whether you’re single and loving it, a little bitter about your relationship status, or fresh out of a relationship and unsure what comes next, I’ve got plenty of ideas for how you can treat yourself this 14th and have your best Self-Love Valentine’s Day yet!

Plan An All-Out Spa Day

Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

The winter months are a busy and often stressful time for all of us — I’m sure I’m not the only one who starts to feel a little burnt out whenever February rolls around. Take this Valentine’s Day as the perfect excuse to treat yourself to a day off! Plan yourself out a full spa day, complete with a massage, a facial, a mani-pedi, or whatever else your heart desires. Not only is this a fantastic way to treat yourself, it really helps your to focus on yourself and your needs for a day. Plus, you get to come back to work on Monday feeling refreshed — you’ll be glowing from the inside out!

Have A Night Out At Your Fave Restaurant

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

This Valentine’s Day, why not take yourself out on a date? After all, no one knows your perfect date better than yourself! Book a reso at your fave restaurant, buy tickets to that movie you’ve been dying to see, take yourself on a little shopping spree or go visit the local art gallery or park! If you decide to take yourself out to dinner, order your favourite meal and a nice drink or two — treat yourself! After all, it’s Valentine’s Day, and you deserve it.

Plan The Perfect Self-Care Night

Photo by Jen P. on Unsplash

If going out to dinner by yourself isn’t really your thing, take a night in to yourself! Take the time to plan out your perfect self care night — whatever that means for you. Buy a single use face mask, a bottle of wine (sparkling even — go all out!), and plan an activity that you know you’ll love. If you need more ideas, check out my post on how to plan your perfect self-care night for more ways to make it the perfect night for yourself!

Have A Girls Night In

Have a couple friends who are also single this February? Plan a night in together! Buy a couple bottles of wine, a pizza, plan a charcuterie board and a movie — or anything else you guys love to do! You can even plan a group self-care night, complete with some all-natural Lush face masks to share, some candles and a little treat like group hand massages. No matter what you guys end up planning, it’ll be a great way to show your love for each other and have a great night in this Valentine’s Day.

Go On A Wild Night Out

Photo by Ross Sneddon on Unsplash

For those of you looking to celebrate this Valentine’s Day with a night out — you’re in luck! Valentine’s Day is on a Friday this year, making it the perfect night to go all-our for a night out on the town with your friends. Grab all your closest single friends and take a night to celebrate yourself, being single and figuring out who you are and what you want your life to be! (Or if you’re a little bitter about being single, go ahead and drink to that as well — I won’t judge!). It is a Friday after all, so hit that bar or club you’ve been dying to try and go all out!

Happy February everyone, I hope you’ve all had a great week! No matter what your plans are this Valentine’s Day, I hope you have an amazing time — whether it’s a date night out with your SO, your friends, or a night in by yourself! Drop a comment below if you already have something fun planned — I’d love to hear it! And just remember, in the wise words of Ru Paul, “if you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else” — can I get an Amen?

Much love,

Meredith

Thursday Favourites: January 30th

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Hey y’all!

So first off, my apologies for having this post ready for you all a day late — I’m still recovering a little from my bout of the flu, and I’ve had a lot of schoolwork assigned this week so unfortunately that took priority. But it’s all good now — and better late than never, right?

Today, I wanted to share with you all another product I was introduced to through FabFitFun and absolutely fell in love with — the Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair. As many of you know, caring for my hair has been a huge struggle for me over the last few years. Back in 2015, I decided to go blonde, and while I don’t regret it one bit it definitely made looking after my hair and avoiding damage a huge challenge. Even now, while I’ve returned to my natural brunette colour, I still have residual damage from my dyed-over bleached ends.

Over the years, I tested out so many products to prevent damage to my hair I almost feel like I’m a bit of an expert now. I tried more masks, sprays, creams and conditioners than I can even count. There was definitely a bit of a learning curve involved — discovering there was more products out there than 10-minute hair masks, noticing how some products worked much better than more for others — and most importantly, realizing that leave-in products should NOT be leaving my hair feeling sticky, heavy, and gross.

For a while, I avoided leave-in products for this very reason. It honestly seemed like most of them were more likely to leave residue behind in my hair than actually fix any problems. To be completely honest — I’m not even sure I would have ever tried a product like this one if FabFitFun hadn’t introduced me to it (but I’m so, so glad they did!).

What really makes this product work is how light it is. It’s not really a cream, or even a gel — its a consistency I’ve never come across before. It’s uber-lightweight and almost seems as though the base is made of water — so as soon as you smooth it over your damp strands, it blends right in.

Honestly, I was blown away by the results the first time I ever used this product — it left my hair so unbelievably smooth and soft. I hadn’t had my hair look so shiny and healthy in YEARS. With time, I’ve only grown more sold on it, too. While I received this product in a Fall 2019 FabFitFun box, to this day I had yet to have this product leave my hair feeling greasy, sticky, or negatively effected in any way. There’s been a couple of occasions where I’ve poured some out before blow drying and thought to myself “whoa, that is DEFINITELY too much product”, and yet I still haven’t had any classic leave-in products results. While so many other leave-in products in the past may have helped with the downside of leaving my hair covered in residue or just otherwise feeling a little nasty — this product has all of the benefits, and so far no downsides.

Does this sound like the hair product you’ve been dying to try? Check it out on Aveda’s website here!

Happy last day of January, everyone! I hope you all had a great month and managed to achieve your goals. I’m personally beyond excited for February — I have a lot of big plans that I can’t wait to put into action! What are your February goals? Drop a comment below and let me know!

Xo,

Meredith