My Juvederm Smile Lip Filler Experience

Before & after.. the after photo was taken around two weeks after the procedure

Overview

My lips have always been very thin and unsymmetrical and this has bothered me for as long as I can remember. Lip fillers had never really crossed my mind - then Kylie Jenner's lips were suddenly a massive topic of discussion and I was definitely sucked into the whole thing. I looked at before and after pictures and I couldn't believe the difference! I don't care what she says - she has DEFINITELY had lip fillers.

I had a look around at different practices offering lip fillers near me. I decided to go somewhere that had a good reputation and was well known and this led me to Harley Medical. They have a few practices throughout the UK.

I firstly had a consultation a week before the procedure where I discussed what I wanted with Nicola (the lady who would carry out the fillers) and she suggested we use Juvederm Smile. This forumla is targeted for lips so it is slightly 'softer' than their other formulas.

I had my first lip fillers in December 2014. Here are two pictures of my lips before -

My top lip was very thin and also unsymmetrical where the right side curved slightly higher than the left side

My lips before

Procedure

I had done a lot of research before I went to my first appointment. In my consultation Nicola had advised me she wont be using any numbing cream or a dental block as the fillers had numbing agents in them. She explained that the first one or two injections would hurt slightly but after this the lip should become numb. I am a bit of a baby when it comes to needles so I purchased some EMLA 5% numbing cream from Boots which you can get from their pharmacy, behind the counter.

EMLA 5% Numbing Cream

I used this about half an hour before my appointment and it worked a treat. Nicola took some before photos and then got to work. Even with the numbing cream the first two injections hurt, it feels like a sharp pinch which is the worst bit. When the juvederm is being injected it feels slighly uncomfortable and a bit strange but I wouldn't say it hurt. The injections mostly went along the border of the lips and not into the actual lip however I did have two into my actual lip which was more painful.

I had injections mostly in my top lip and we aimed to even the lip out so it was more symmetrical. I also had a few injections in the bottom. The numbing agent in the Juvederm works well but I am glad I put the numbing cream on before. 

Once Nicola had finished injecting she had to 'massage' the lips. She runs her index and thumb finger either side of the lip to distribute the product and to avoid any clumps to give a smooth finish. 

My lips felt very strange afterwards! It felt like I was constantly pouting and I couldn't relax my lips which I'm guessing was to do with the numbing cream. However you can immediately see the difference which I liked. My lips were slightly swollen and they didn't hurt at all.

My lips straight after

After the procedure

When I got home I couldn't stop looking at them! I was so pleased with them already and I couldn't wait to see what they would look like once the product had settled (which takes about a week). I had heard some horror stories about lips being humongous the next day with swelling, so I was scared to look in the mirror the next day!

My lips the next morning before work

However, as you can see my lips were not swollen at all and if you didn't know me you wouldn't even know I had had anything done. I was told they would last up to 6 months.

Second Procedure

In February I had an email from Harley Medical for a special offer on lip fillers. Unfortunately I do not have a before picture but my lips had not changed too much from the previous picture. The filler had settled a bit more so my lips were not 100% symmetrical still but this was not as noticeable as before I had the fillers done and it was probably only me who could notice as I am a perfectionist! However, my lips were definitely bigger than they ever was before.

This time around I had the same formula (Juvederm Smile) and I also used the numbing cream again. This time I had no filler in my bottom lip - several people asked me if I had but I think this is due to the top lip being bigger and therefore it gave the illusion of the bottom looking bigger.

I'm not sure why, but the numbing agent in the Juvederm worked 10x better and I literally could not feel a thing after the first two injections. This time around I had a lot of swelling on the left side of my lip (as you can see in the pictures below) and there was blood this time during the procedure too, but there was no pain at all.

My lips straight afterward. You can see swelling underneath my top lip on the left.

The next day the swelling had gotten worse and there was also a bruise. My lips felt quite tender and a little bit painful but I was happy with the way they looked minus the swelling.

Swelling the next day

Last time I had hardly any swelling or pain so I was surprised that this had happened. I went a lot bigger this time so I think this could be why and it was definitely worth it as it did not affect my day to day life. The swelling lasted for about 3 days, by the 3rd day the swelling was minimal. 

Fillers after two weeks

All in all getting lip fillers is a breeze! The slight pain is so worth it and it is very bearable. I cannot believe the difference in my lips and it has really boosted my confidence. I think they look very natural and people who do not know me would never know I had had them done.

Feel free to leave any questions! :)

Nano Bead Remy Hair Extensions Review

I've always been a lover of extensions. I was a clip in fanatic in my earlier teenage years and rarely went out without them. Now I'm a bit older I can afford to try other methods of hair extensions and my favourite method so far is nano beads!

Quick Overview

Benefits:

- Bond is so tiny that you can barely see them

- You can wear your hair up

- Hair is reusable

- Feels like your own hair

- Easy to take out

- Less damaging than other hair extension methods

Downsides:

- Fiddly to put in

- Time consuming to put in

- Can sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable when they're first put in

- Some slide out more commonly than other methods 

Application 

Nano bead hair extensions use tiny beads that are threaded through your own hair, which are then clamped around the hair extension to bond with your own hair. Because the beads are so small the process can be fiddly and takes a bit of time! My hair took about 4 hours. However, I do think the time is well invested as when a whole head is completed the bonds are so tiny that they are so hidden you can wear your hair up with out having to worry. (Make sure the beads match your root colour unless you're bleach blonde all over) Previously, when I've had a weave and micro beads, the method has been obvious therefore restricting how I could style my hair. I've included a picture of my bonds so you can see what they look like. :)

This is the bonds, as you can see the beads are tiny!

Maintenance

Washing the extensions has not been a problem for me. I typically wash my hair like I would if I didn't have the extensions in, however, I do spend a bit of extra time washing the product out as I have found that it can get 'stuck' in the hair underneath, leaving you with greasy roots full of product. Blow drying these extensions is a dream compared to micro beads. Micro beads have a silicone layer within the bead that is in contact with your hair, I found when blow-drying that this layer would melt, leaving a sticky substance in the hair, almost like glue. This was a major downside for me as I had to avoid blow drying my hair at the root.
 You will need to get these extensions 'moved up' after around 6-8 weeks as the extensions will grow with your hair and the bead will end up lower down than when they was first applied. This is a quick easy process and doesn't take anywhere near as long as the first installation. Normally maintenance takes about an hour. I would recommend taking a break from extensions however as your hair will start to become damaged if you have the extensions installed for too long. I normally have mine in for about 4 months and then have a month break. I then have them put back in! The same hair can be reused which I LOVE as it cuts the cost down majorly. Nano ring hair typically lasts a year! The only downside is that these extensions tend to fall out more commonly (this is normal with extensions that few will fall out, but slightly more fall out with this method). You can save the extensions that fall out and have them put back in during maintenance.

Top left is my hair before.

Styling

I actually have no bad words to say about styling nano beads. These extensions feel like my own hair and when I wear my hair up they are pretty much undetectable. This is a big selling point for me as when I had a weave and micro beads I become continually frustrated at trying to style my hair, especially with micro beads. I couldn't even wear my hair in a low ponytail without them showing! I can style these extensions anyway I like pretty much!

Sleek Face Contour Kit - Review

£6.49 at Superdrug

Quick Summary

PROS

• Stylish packaging
• Buildable colour
• Matte
• Longwearing
• Inexpensive
• A little goes a long way
• Not too orange

CONS

• Can be applied to the face too heavy if not used with a light hand
• Comes with a highlighter but the shades could be better
• If skin is dry it can be a bit patchy
• The lightest shade would still be too dark for very fair skins

I have used this contour kit for well over a year now. I originally used MAC's Matte Bronzer but I wasn't that impressed with it and it was on the expensive side - so I set myself the target of finding a holy grail bronzer/contour powder. 

  I have always liked Sleek's eyeshadow palettes and I was browsing the isle when I spotted this 'Face Contour Kit', so at £6.49 (bargain) I decided to give it a go! It comes in three shades; Dark, Medium and Light. I use the shade medium and I would say this is a good colour for anyone with olive skin and a bit of a tan. The 'light' shade still seems on the darker side to me so I wouldn't recommend it for anyone with fair skin tones. However, all three shades are a good tone of brown and aren't too orangey, this is very important with contour powders as the contours can look very fake with lots of orange tones. No one wants to look like an oompa loompa! 

The colour lasts all day and I never have to reapply it! It is also very buildable if you use this with a light hand. I hardly touch the contour powder when I swirl my brush, a little bit of this product goes a VERY long way, which is good news for our purses. I've had this contour powder for around 4-5 months and as you can see from the photo above, it's only made the slightest dent. However, if you have a heavy hand then this powder can come out like a stripe on your face! It happened to me the very first time I used it and it was NOT a good look!

 The compact also includes a highlighter, which I used once and then I never used it again. The shades always seem slightly too dark for me and so they always look strange on my cheekbones. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend the highlighter but it could be used as an eyeshadow instead. 

I did not give this product a full 5 stars because the highlighter is a bit of a let down and they need to bring out a shade suitable for paler skins. However overall, this would be my holy grail contour powder and bronzer as it doesn't break the bank, lasts all day, and provides a lovely colour. I have repurchased this twice and I could not live without it! 

What other contour powders or bronzers would you recommend?