Ulster Tatler June 2014

So I have been itching to get on and show you all these was top secret until yesterday so here they all are!!!

The Ulster Tatler approached me again about the June cover and of course I jumped at the chance!

This year I really wanted to make a statement and change it up a little, so I first went to online to get some serious inspiration! This took days drafting up ideas, I snap shot everything so the idea that I got was from a picture I had saved about a year ago!! So they do come in handy!! All 8900 of them ha!

Then I met with our amazing team

Hair – Connie Farren – Runway

https://www.facebook.com/runway.hair.1

 

Makeup – Laura Brown – Runway

https://www.facebook.com/runway.hair.1

 

Photography – Paul Mc Elhennon from Acorn Images

http://acornimagesphotography.co.uk

 

Stylist – Melissa Gormley from Prim and Penny

https://www.facebook.com/PrimAndPenny

 

Models – Emma Brown

https://www.facebook.com/emma.brown.75033?fref=ts

 

Model – Hollie Keers

https://www.facebook.com/hollie.keers?fref=ts

 

So Paul Melissa and myself sat down and brainstormed all our ideas and each of us had something else to bring to the table so I think this is the reason the images work so well!!

 

We looked to fashion photographers such as Tim Walker, David LaChapelle and Henryk Lobaczewski for inspiration and we set out looking for a diverse location!

 

I actually found an old estate a stone throw from my house that was breathtaking and the owners were kind enough to let us shoot for the entire day and offer us any help we needed! All I need now is them to let me move in 🙂 hehe

 

So that’s how we set the shoot up! We were going for high fashion editorial with a vintage twist! Hope you like them!!!!

 

 Firstly we have the cover!!

 

now the inside shots! This is where we could go to town!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankyou so much to everyone involved! There was alot of work behind the scenes so thankyou all!

Love Connie xxx

 

Juice Plus

So I’m going to start off by letting you know the method to my madness

2 years 9 months ago I became pregnant with my little boy! I was a little heavier than usual but nothing to write home about… During my pregnancy I suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum. A condition which let to me losing a lot of weight in my early pregnancy.. being constantly sick and generally really down.

I didn’t really gain a lot of weight until month seven of my pregnancy and then it all went pear shaped- quite literally!!

But as soon as I had Rory I decided enough was enough and 2 weeks later I started a weight loss class near my house!

This spiralled out of control for the next year and a half due to being a busy mum with my own business and house. It all led to a routine of chippy food and round the clock snacking!

I had literally never felt worse in every way! My skin was patchy, my hair lifeless, I felt sleepy all the time, mood swings and I was at the heaviest I had ever been! I dreamt of being the size I was the last time I started a new weight loss regime! Every time I started one I became bigger after I yoyo’d off it!

So on August 1^st last year I decided I needed to do something so iv been trying to eat cleaner, be a little more active, drink more water, and eat more fruit and veg!

I have thrown in the odd diet in-between to give a go but in all I have came to this conclusion!

Diets don’t work for me! I have currently lost 22lb from august last year and yes I have been stuck on the odd number here and there but I haven’t gained it all back! I know now this is a lifestyle change! It took me 2 ½ years to put this weight on and it might take me 2 ½ years to get it off!! But i will get there!!

This is where juice plus comes in! During my researching of every do and don’t when it comes to healthy eating iv found no matter what I don’t eat enough fruit and veg.. I find myself still tired and find my digestive system not great. A few of my friends introduced me to Juice Plus, telling me its 26 whole raw fruits, vegetables and berries with water, salt and sugar removed and put in a gelatin capsule! Something to add to my new lifestyle change and I haven’t looked back!

I have been offered and tried every weight loss aid out there and im NOT saying they don’t work! These companies are globally known because they do work but they just didn’t work for me! When I read up about Juice Plus I felt it was much more in sync for what I want to achieve which is not only to lose weight but a healthy lifestyle and become a healthy role model for my son!

I purchased the fruit and veg and have now after being on these I have ordered the berries aswell! Rory is also on the children’s chewables! I have noticed Rory has a rash on his face and although not completely clear it’s not as irritated! I wanted to get Rory onto this as he’s very anemic and I feel its essential to try and get him something natural and organic as near the real thing as can be! As im sure you all know little two year olds just don’t love leafy greens and broccoli!

I am excited to see where this takes my family! Seeing the endless benefits this product creates the skies the limit!

Keep unto date for all my progress any tips i have etc on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Juice-Plus-Runway

The range has a few different products including the capsules i have reviewed above and the complete shakes! I will review the shakes in a separate blog in a few weeks

Love Connie xxx

NEW CID – I GLOW

I am a little obsessed with high lighters!! Especially subtle ones. I cannot stand one that is too thick and that stands out in your makeup application! I love the way this sits on top of my makeup it doesn’t stand out! It does its job perfectly!

The I glow range is designed with special ingredients to bounce light of the skin!! Creating a flawless finish!

Best used on top of tan and can be used on your body too!! I use it above my cheekbones and on the tops of my shoulders and across my collarbone!

Available at Runway Hairdressing 02879643399

Shades – Sirocco (My favourite)

–       ice pop

–       coral crush

Price £24

Uniq ONE

All in one hair treatment

So tonight I have decided to post about a product I use every day on lots of my clients! I find this product very versatile as I can use it on almost anyone and it has so many different uses!!

In a nutshell-

Its marketed as a 10 in 1 treatment,

1-repair for dry and damaged hair

2-shine and frizz control

3- heat protection

4-silkyness and smoothness

5- hair colour protection with UVA and UVB filters

6-easier brushing and ironing

7-incredible detangling

8-long lasting hairstyle

9-split ends protection

10- adds body

My verdict –

I love this product however I don’t find it’s entirely true that it has ten uses!! The detangling and easier brushing are practically the same thing and even the shine and frizz control and silkiness and smoothness could fall under the same category aswell!! But in saying that I do love it! I use it for giving the hair a lovely texture to work with and once its blowdried its silky smooth, it adds incredible shine and I do find it repairs the hair so a good leave in treatment, I also find though that its heavy!! Like really heavy, three mists of this is ample on medium thickness hair, two on fine and four on thicker or very long hair, this is a good thing you need very little so will last you ages!! Definitely a good investment weather you blowdry or wash and go! And the price tag makes it even more appealing!

Available in all good salons (Runway 02879643399)

RRP £14

Helpful tip

If you find that your hair feels sticky or heavy where the product has been applied then spray onto your hands and apply throughout instead of spraying directly onto hair. this will ensure it’s applied evenly..(This goes for all products)

Love Connie xxx

All about the Brows!!!!

Third on my list is my Benefit Smokin Eyes Makeover Kit

I am a Brow Freak!! If I am in a rush it doesn’t matter if I’ve just woken up im 2hours late and I have to run a marathon I will firstly do my brows, then I will freak out! (yes ino im a hairdresser it should be all about hair) I just think brows completely define your face and If they aint right nothing else you apply that day will be either!! Now I wasn’t born with brows to kill so I have mine done every month with our resident makeup artist at Runway Miss Laura Brown, she gives them the tlc and overhaul they need! But since I haven’t been blessed by the angels and I was a tweezer happy schoolgirl I have gaps and ones longer than the other my list goes on.. so this benefit kit is perfect for me I usually just use it for the shader for the brows and the highlighter for just under the brow but if im heading out I go mad and use it all!! I love all of this kit as you can achieve the perfect smokey eye with no help from any other eyeshadow palettes or eye liners, this kit has it all.

Available online or any good department store

RRP £28.50

However if you just want a brow shader then try elf cosmetics, they have a little brow kit for £3.75 really brilliant and excellent value for money!!

My biggest tip when it comes to brows is to have them done professionally by someone who specialises in brows! These gurus are hard to come by, for anyone local try Laura at Runway.. Laura has designed her very own HD brow and includes several steps to achieve a fantastic arch! Call Runway 02879643399.

Love Connie

Busy few weeks…..

So I haven’t been posting for over a week… bad blogger ino but I have been very busy, Runway has been crazy.. my little Rory has been unwell and I had a crazy hen party in Barcelona in between!

So firstly I went to the only beauty show in Belfast and it was fantastic.. a real must for anyone in the industry next year be sure to check it out.. At Runway we have been going back and fourth on taking a cosmetics range into the salon for some time.. I find that I love lots of different ranges, for different reasons so I found it hard to tie down one particular range… until now.

I have heard about and used some items from NEW CID for the last few months but I hadn’t seen the entire range.. so you can only imagine how excited I was to go and see and I purchased straight away.. Its fantastic!! I will do a full blog post on the range in the next week as its only being delivered to me tomorrow.. EEEKKKK!!

Then it was time for one of my oldest and most gorgeous friends Laura’s hen party!! We flew to Barcelona and what a weekend it was!! FAB!! We stayed in a cute little apartment, it was very authentic and good and central! We partied hard for 2 days so there wasn’t much time for sight seeing, but lots of cocktails and chittering between myself and the girls, i will just have to go back another time to see the sights!

 

Then it was back home to Runway, which is in full on Formal mode!! We had the pleasure of doing lots of the beautiful local ladies hairs and makeups. And teamed with the most unbelievable dresses I have ever seen (like these girls looked like they were Oscar ready) they all looked superb!!

We were asked to style the Hair for a beautiful Bridal Shoot in the Tullyglass in Ballymena, it was fantastic, the dresses and flowers were amazing, models gorgeous and photographer was first class.. was great to be a part of it!!

Rory was sick for the entire last two weeks but he is in great form now and is back to doing what he does best – wreaking my house!!! So it has been all cuddles and kisses for him!!

 

And this weekend we just chilled out, I sorted out what blog posts I would like to do soon, I have a few good ones lined up! I also have gala dinner to attend in November so will be on the prowl for a nice dress to wear and I am back in my fitness mode “again” so wish me luck!!!

But for now its Monday, one of my favorite days of the week and me and Rory are off to have a sneaky ice cream

Love Connie xxx

Studio Fix!!

The second product on my beauty fix list is my Mac Studio Fix,

I am always on the hunt for a good foundation and after using Estee Lauder Double Wear for a long time I found it too heavy, I felt my skin couldn’t breathe and I didn’t find it lasted as well as my friends found it worked on them, my skin is normal/dry, As I mentioned before I was at the Mac counter and I asked the lovely assistant to recommend me a new foundation, I do like a heavy coverage so she decided on studio fix. When she applied it of course I was hooked she made it look effortless and I was really impressed so I bought it (and half of the counter) and thought I would give a go, I partied very hard that night and to my surprise the next morning when my “friends” were tagging me on Facebook I actually looked ok at 5am in the morning.. no blemishes.. no embarrassing patches I STILL had makeup on!! I do love it, I do find I need to apply the prep and prime under to get the flawless result, I don’t however find it lasts all day sigh!!  But its definitely the best for my skin so far.. without being too heavy, I do build it on when applying and I always use my stipple brush (no 187 but unfortunately as much as I like this brush it does leave fibers on face) I get a fuller coverage using this method!

It’s a matte finish, has spf 15 and has 28 colour’s to choose from. I recommend going in to get colour matched at your local mac counter.

i use NW25

Available online or at Debenhams

RRP £21.50

love Connie

xxx

A COLOUR BOOST SECRET

Nutri Color Crème

Do u absolutely love your hair walking out of the salon and then comes week 4/5/6 and your colour is dull/ faded or your hair just lacks life??? Well then why not try a 3 in 1 treatment!!

I have been in love with these treatments for a few years now! The colour boost they give is amazing!! They can turn a brassy blonde into that nice creamy blonde bombshell, a dull faded red into a vibrant statement!!!

1002 is a must have for blonde hair.. cleans the blonde really well and brightens it if its dull after a few weeks,

500 is the purple red it gives a new lease of life to red hair!! Really bright though so be careful!! These are the most popular we sell at runway

You must stick to the colour recommended by your hairstylist.. Always get a professional opinion before using this..

Use the measure indicator along the side to measure out, it will depend on thickness and length but average it should do 4-6 treatments so don’t use all at once!!

To use shampoo your hair as normal twice.. then rinse thoroghly then apply ¼ of the product (more if needed on thicker hair) and leave for 3 minutes then rinse

Your hair should feel silky and smooth and shiny!!!

This product does not contain ammonia or peroxide

A small tip – if your hair is a really vibrant red, copper or violet then shampoo your hair and dry off and apply the nutri color crème dry and leave on for 30min!! and enjoy the brightest hair ever!!!

Definitely get your hair stylist to recommend your color this does not suit everyone and cant be used to go from blonde to dark etc.

Enjoy a treatment and color boost all in one

love connie xx

MAKE A STATEMENT

A complete must have this season.. these little beauties are everywhere, I have a small collection that I have and a couple that are for sale in runway.

I use these to dress the simplest of dresses or shirts up and they range in price from as little as £4,

I find in most situations its best to stick to a plain piece and add the necklace if you really want to make a statement with it, if your bold enough then go for a patterned piece..

Be creative with these and remember the bigger the better!!

a few pieces from my collection and at Runway

This Little Beauty was out of Primark for only £4

this gorgeous one is available at runway for only £12 great teamed with black or denim

this stunning one is from a new boutique in maghera opening soon!! love all the pieces melissa is stocking!! it was perfect for my event i wore it with a navy dress and it complimented it beautifully!!

This one was a gift from my lovely friend Janice, I’ve worn this one with black, it really catches the light!!

I really love this one! I think it might be my favourite and another cheapie!!

This is how i wore these on nights out!!

hope you like this post.. its a small investment to be made this season

love connie xxx