Northern Blogger | GemsUpNorth | Festival Attendee with ADHD : Livbloggers

The Curve Fashion Festival is heading back to Liverpool this November!

October 01, 2018

Celebrity MUA Masterclass - Liverpool

March 19, 2018

Yesterday I was kindly invited to attend the Celebrity MUA Masterclass in association with Debenhams Beauty Club. The event was held at the beautiful St George’s Hall in Liverpool which is right next to Lime Street station; the hall inside is just amazing and I could spend all day exploring its beauty.

Celebrity MUA Masterclass or CMM for short is a full day event filled with makeup tutorials, finding new brands, meet & greets and your ticket even includes lunch. Each of the CMM events have makeup masterclasses with MUA's and Beauty Bloggers/Influencer's were you can pick up hints and tips for your own beauty creations; there are classes all around the world too. At this Liverpool event Gary Cockerill (celebrity MUA) and Alexis Stone (Influencer) we’re doing the tutorials and answering all our questions.

The day started with look one from Gary Cockerill which was a more natural day look however I found the look to still be glam and night out worthy. Gary used lots of products from Makeup Revolution, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Cover Fx and many more. It’s was good too see how an MUA starts their makeup looks and that most of the time they don’t have a plan; they go with the flow and work with the models face and features. We was able to ask questions throughout the tutorial so this helped guests engage and pick up tips and tricks for their own makeup looks. The complete look was very glamorous and you could definitely go from desk to dance floor wearing this makeup look.

Next up was the one and only Alexis Stone, an Instagram/YouTube sensation who turns himself into celebrities using makeup and is a fabulous drag queen. Alexis created a drag queen look for us and although this look may not of been for everyone I really enjoyed the tutorial. I’m a bright eye look gal myself so it was helpful see how Alexis created a bold and dramatic look in a short time. He was using products also from Makeup Revolution as well as Huda Beauty and MAC. You could tell Alexis is a born performer he worked the stage doing the models makeup, answering questions and was really up to date with the latest trends. I’d say this was my favourite part of the day!

Before the next tutorial we was treated to lunch and a break, lunch was buffet style and we filled up on sandwiches, cheese and mini cakes. Whilst we was having lunch we was able to look around the stalls at the event, a few of the brands were showcasing their products and if we wanted we could purchase on the day too. This was a great opportunity to chat to the brands and test products before making a purchase.

The next tutorial was from Gary again but this time a night-time look. Gary had a different model to work with, she had different features to the last model so again it was helpful to see how Gary worked with the girls features. A smokey eye was the main focus with this look and again Gary used products from Makeup Revolution as well as Sleek Makeup and some unknown to me brands. Me and the rest of the guests were able to see how to create a signature smokey eye for our next night out on the town. He finished the look by applying foundation, Gary likes to use sponges for his makeup creations and they had a really good effect on the skin. Just like the other tutorials I picked up some tips for my own makeup looks and saw different techniques for applying products.

(Please excuse the blurry photo, was the best I got unfortunately)

During the tutorials both Gary and Alexis gave some useful advise, I noted down two of my favourite tips of the day to share with you here...

Alexis - “Use eyeshadow primer on any lines you want to fill on the face, not just your eye lids”

I think we all sometimes get a product and only use it for it’s advertised purpose when actually products have many uses and exploring them is fun and useful. Alexis referred to himself when using the eyeshadow primer to fill lines as he uses it to fill his smile lines.

Gary on foundation matching - “start at the jaw line and work into the neck, if the foundation disappears then you’ve got a match”

A simple yet useful tip for when we are wanting to match our own foundation weather it be in boots or wherever. You can go onto makeup counters for this service but when that’s not available it’s good to have this information.

Yesterday’s event ran over the scheduled times, Alexis came and did a second look after the end time but I had to leave due my my trains and the bad weather. I’ve spoken to other guests who said this tutorial was on Alexis himself and was very insightful like his first look.

CMM put on a wonderful event yesterday and even though the times ran over this didn’t affect the quality of the event or tutorials. I learnt a lot throughout the event and definitely picked up some tips to use in my own makeup journey. If your a makeup student or MUA yourself I think this event would be very useful for you and you get a certificate of attendance too.

Along with your ticket to the event, lunch and certificate you also get a goodie bag filled with over £100 worth of treats so your ticket price is well worth it! Debenhams Beauty items was in the goodie bag along with Unicorn Cosmetics, Doll Beauty and many other brands (keep your eye out for a review of what was in my goodie bag) There’s other CMM events coming up in London on the 22nd of April with beauty blogger Diana Maria MUA and Manchester on the 24th of June with Amy's Makeup Box. You can buy tickets by clicking through the the CMM website.

Have you ever attended a MUA masterclass?

Beauty

Lush Spa Liverpool Christmas Blogger event

December 15, 2017

The Lush Spa in Liverpool is quite new to me, I've spent a lot of time shopping in Lush stores but knew hardly anything about the Spa and what treatments are available. Until now... Lush Liverpool hosted a fantastic blogger event which gave me all the insight I needed about the Lush Spa and which treatments the Liverpool Spa offer.

From walking up the stairs in the Liverpool store I felt relaxed and chilled, the atmosphere was tranquil and calm; it was refreshing to be in an environment with lots of other people but still feel calm and at ease. The spa is made up of 4 treatment rooms and what I’d call a communal area; I guess this could be a waiting area or somewhere to chill before or after treatments. There's lots to look at and do, theres books placed all around the area so you will have a interesting wait if there is one.

At the beginning of the event everyone was handed a tag with a word on it; mine was ‘Enlightened’ these tags were used to split us up into groups. My group was a small group of 4 including; me and the lovely SwishMySwag plus 2 other bloggers.

The first treatment room we was directed too was 'The Planets' treatment room, this room felt calm from the moment I walked in; with low lighting, a beautiful scent filling the room and a charming decor set-up. Within this room we was treated to a palm reading exercise which is actually part of the Planets treatment; this treatment is also the longest treatment that Lush provide and lasts 3 hours. The palm reading was really fun and very insightful, I already knew a bit about reading my palm but it was nice to be refreshed about it and of course it had a Lush twist so I learnt some new things about my palms and myself. I have to say this was one of the treatments that really did ‘Enlighten’ me. Also included in the Planets treatment is a 90 minute full body massage, a 30 minute hand and arm massage which includes the palm reading and a 60 minute lifted facial treatment.

After 'The Planets' room we was directed to another treatment room which is the home to the 'Karma' treatment. Within this treatment 2 members of the Lush Spa team work together to bring you inner calm and peace; it’s about redirecting your energy flow around the body to align your mind and body and help concentration. Whilst we was in this room we did a meditation exercise which I found amazing, I’d already had a long day at work and my mind was full of things I needed to do, this short meditation helped me feel less stressed and see a way through my never-ending to do list. The Karma room also had very low lighting, decorated with themed items and it felt tranquil. The full treatment includes a four-handed full body massage, the use of hot oils, singing bowls and a Shirodhara ritual to bring you rest and a head and hair massage using warm coconut water which is poured from a Shirodhara vessel over the third eye.

Our next activity was one of my favourite parts of the event; bath bomb making! We made Spa Exclusive Golden Slumbers Bath Bomb with scents of lavender and chamomile blue oil. Whenever I’ve been to Lush event I’ve been able to make a product and it’s so much fun, members of staff talked us through the whole process whilst giving us information about the product and ingredients. Sometimes they have product making in store so look out in your local store for this because you’ll not leave disappointed.

The next part of the evening was all about the Tales of Bath treatment which is the treatment were you actually have a bath! Yes you have a bath in the Lush spa but don’t worry it’s all pirate and the Lush team have had a lot of positive feedback about this treatment. This treatment features music from a Bath based musician, a massage and of course an actual bath. The room itself was again low lit and felt calm and relaxed as soon as I walked in, we was told all about the treatment whilst watching someone have a massage, even though this exercise was just visual I still felt so relaxed. I think it was the beautiful music! Apparently this treatment is popular with pregnant ladies as the massage is done whilst lied on your side and the bath makes it all that more relaxing.

Lastly our group was treated to 'The Comforter' room which included an arm and hand massage. Within with room was heated beds with heated blankets and tranquil music playing, we was all handed a sugar rush drink in a martini glass which tasted delicious and was definitely a sugar rush! Next we were shown how to do a hand/arm massage using spa exclusive rose serum then we paired up and took turns; I paired up with SwishMySwag. She did a wonderful job!! I think this treatment is a good all rounder if your undecided on which treatment to go for, it’s actually the first treatment lush offered and it’s still very popular! Lush advertise this treatment on their website as "it reminds you not to take life too seriously" and I think we all need this sort of mind-frame sometimes.

Before the event was over everyone tucked into the Vegan pizza Lush had provided which was really good especially the garlic bites; I could of eaten lots of these. I’d definitely have Vegan Monday’s again.

I really enjoyed my evening and enjoyed all the mini sessions in the treatment rooms. I was able to get lots of information on each treatment and an insight into what they involve. I’ve never really seen having a spa treatment as something I would enjoy but I think I could definitely enjoy a Lush Spa treatment!

If you fancy checking out any of the Spa treatments that are available at Lush Liverpool you can pop into store, ring to book or go online here. All the staff are super lovely and will help you with any queries, information and you’ll have the best time!

Thanks again for the invite Lush Spa Liverpool, I will see you soon!

The Curve Fashion Festival is heading back to Liverpool this November!

Celebrity MUA Masterclass - Liverpool

Lush Spa Liverpool Christmas Blogger event

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