Getting dramatic with LVL lashes

 Would you believe me if I said I wasn't wearing any makeup in the above photo?

That my eyelashes are my own, natural ones?

 Well, let me tell you a secret...

 A few weeks ago, I was invited to the salon Hair Associates in Crossgates outside of Leeds for a beauty treatment. But not any beauty treatment though, but THE current on-trend treatment of LVL lashes, developed exclusively by Nouveau Lashes. 

LVL stands for Length-Volume-Lift, and the idea is simple; to straighten and tint your own natural lashes to make them look longer, fuller and darker.

 This beauty treatment takes about 45 minutes, and at Hair Associates I was brought upstairs to a cosy room that resembled a relaxing alp chalet with its wooden beams and decorative details. 

I was treated by the lovely Kathryn, who started the session by explaining the different stages before continuing with the treatment.

She taped down my lower lashes to avoid accidentally bending them upwards, then placed two silicone shields on my eyelids which would work as the shaper for my lash lift.

There are three different shaped silicone shields that lift your lashes in different ways - some more dramatic than others. I'm not entirely sure which ones were used on me, but they did do the trick!

After combing my lashed onto the shields and using different solutions to straighten and set them, Kathryn added a tint to my lashes to make them even more dramatic. The idea is that your lashes will naturally look as if you've used an eyelash curler on them, as well as mascara. 

This is my 'before' picture, and as you can see I've naturally got really blonde lashes and they are basically not curled at all, which makes them look a lot shorter than they really are. I've tried using all different kinds of mascaras, as well as heated eye lash curers, but it's really time consuming, and it doesn't really work that well.

Now are you ready to see the result...?!

 Look at the angle of the lashes! The colour! How perky my eyes look all of a sudden!

WOOOAH!

I'm so impressed!

It actually looks as if I've got a thin layer of mascara on, but no - it's all my own lashes.

The treatment is supposed to last for about 6-8 weeks depending on how you take care of your lashes.

I am super careful when washing off my makeup, and try not to rub my eyes at all.

 

I first thought that this treatment was something I would perhaps only treat myself to for holidays as it would be perfect for the beach, but after having realised now how much easier it is to apply mascara, how good it looks, and how much time it saves me in the morning, I'm hooked!

Three weeks in, and my lashes still look fantastic both with and without makeup on!

Thanks to Nouveau Lashes for introducing me to this treatment - I'll definitely get it done again, and I can genuinely recommend it to anyone thinking of doing it.