The Professional Beauty Show at the ExCel London was AMAZING. It's any Beauty-Professionals must go to trade show in the UK and it's a brilliant platform to Network, create new custom and find new brands to use/represent, especially if you work in or run a salon or are a MUA.
This was the first time i'd ever been and i cannot say a bad word about it. Well except the coach ride up there and back, but that was nothing to do with the show nor even the coach or the coach driver, it was all on the 'teenage' girls my college friends and i we're sharing a coach with. My Beauty Therapy evening class consists of women all between the ages of 20 and 30. The other girls from college are all full-time course so they're between the ages of 17 and 20- and boy can you tell the difference. Although back in my day (thats right i said it) if i was bored on public transport, or at least where others would be within ear-shot i still wouldn't have listened to music at full volume and sang along with it and kept everyone else awake on the coach at 6am!
I'm 100% sure that only that young girl and her mate next to her were enjoying the nosie. The rest of us, even her other class-mates just wanted to sleep or relax at least. I may start a 'free disposeable headphone' service where people who are 'bored and want to listen to their music are handed a pair of headphones and can have an optional splitter and another pair for their mate.
Anyway after enduring the 4 hour coach ride of that, we arrived at the ExCel Center in London. And if you've never been there it is HUGE. It looks almost like an Airport terminal when you first walk in. The ticket/ day pass collection service was simple and easy even in a large group like ours. (It was two coaches full, only four from my class though) It was simple and easy to navigate and the only teeny gripe i do have about the whole thing was just how busy some of the stands were and how dis-organised it looked, and it wasn't even like the poor people running the stalls could help it because it was the other people there who were crowding, making a mess, putting products back in the wrong place and i genuienly saw a girl try out a lipstick on the back of her hand, then wipe it down the mirror of the make up stand. WHAT THE HELL.
The first stand like this was the NYX stand. I LOVE this brand and i felt horribly sorry for the poor people working on there and left to tidy it up at the end of the day. I did get some amazing items.
I bought the
Glitterati Cream Eyeshadow Pallete .This was £10.50 at the show but its usual price is £14.
Also from the NYX Stall i bought two Lipsticks from their
Lipsmacking Fun Colours range, £3 each, usually £4, In the shades "Shiva" and "Pink Lyric". They're both quite bright pink colours, on with a petrol-like blue tone to it.
And last of all from NYX was a pot of their amazing
Concealer £4.00, usually £6.00. This i got in shade "light Porcelain", this was mainly for the eye area but i have a concealer pallet now too (show you later in the post)
Also, FINALLY i got my hands on an
EOS Lipbalm in Blueberry for £6!
Then i had a free Face-mapping service by a lovely lady called Alex from
Dermalogica, this is the brand who used to supply my Colleges' beauty salon. They are really good. According to my free face-maping i have Sensetive cheeks and forehead (quite red) with mild dry problem areas on my forehead from my Psoriasis, which is all 100% correct, then she said my skin felt quite "hot" so i got to try out some of their Cooling spray that you use straght over the top of your make-up, and i did notice the instant change. After my face-mapping i was directed to a counter with my little bit of paper and stocked up on a load of free samples, specially recommended by alex to help my skin. I have samples of; Barrier Repair, Skin Perfect Primer, Skin Smoothing Cream, Ultracalming Cleanser, Precleanse Original Clearing gel (for breakouts) and Daily Microfoliant. I haven't tried any of them yet but i know Dermalogica is amazing and it's all about the science behind the product and not the packaging or the label.
Last but not least i made an investment in some
O.P.I Nail Varnish, in a new Textured shade called "Happy Anniversary". I already had the base-coat all it requires is a layer of base and two coats and its cot a really soft-matte feel to it while remaining shiney and glittery looking. This shade is a lovely white pearlescent colour and it shimmers so nicely in the light.
Finally my EBAY finds. I'm a massive fan of saving money where i can so when i discovered the cheap make-up pallets from china i thought i'd order some to try them out. No they're not free-from, eco-friendly, they're mass produced in china, but some of the things available are essentially just items we buy over her but without the famous-brand label already printed on that we're used to.
I bought this Eyeshadow Pallet of 120 different coloured shadows for £5.50 FREE p+p.
Also this concealer and contouring pallet which was £2.50 FREE p+p.
Ebay has wealth of Beauty and Make-up products available, from job-lots of well known brand-names to items like the ones above. I know for whatever reason people seem to be afraid to buy stuff like that from Ebay, but consumer law, in the uk anyway is at items such as this have to be un-opened and in original packaging so if there is any doubt you have evey right to return items and get your money back, but 9/10 times it'll be a new-in box and sealed item or items for a much lower price then in stores.
Thanks for reading. XxX
