The last 18 months has been a strange time for the fashion industry. With the UK plummeted in to lock down in March 2020, many fashion trends that were set to hit the high street simply had to be scrapped. Instead of beautiful summer dresses for BBQ’s or nights out on the town, lounge wear was the number one fashion style on everyone’s list. The fact we all had to stay at home and could not socialise meant that any outfit that was a little bit dressy or designed for a day or night out was put on the back burner. As the UK restrictions become lifted, more and more people are looking forward to being able to get out and about and hopefully enjoy the summer weather. The high streets are a wash with dresses, smock tops and sandals and with the weather warming up, it wont be long before many people are able to enjoy time together with loved ones again.

If you work in the fashion industry, it may take a bit of time to adjust to what is happening and hopefully you have already got your summer / autumn collection on the shelves.

Beauty treatments are on the increase possibly due to the lifting of restrictions and people wanting to pamper themselves a little. There are always a wide range of beauty treatments on offer and finding out which ones suit you is often a bit of trial and error. Some people swear by having their eyebrows waxed and tinted or a spray tan every other week whereas others may only do those things when they are going on holiday or have a special occasion such as a wedding.

Eyelash extensions is becoming increasingly popular and many beauty salons and individuals are offering this treatment. They often offer at least two different types of lashes such as Classic lashes and Russian. Russian lashes are very thick and look quite dramatic, but if you are after something that looks a little more natural, then classic is the way to go.

The beauty therapist should be able to advise you on what sort of lashes best suits your face. They will also select the right lash length and curl for you depending on the shape of your eye and your natural lashes. Each extension is glued to an individual lash and will over time fall off. You can usually wait two to three weeks for them to be infilled.

There are constantly new products coming to market within the beaty industry. These products often claim to make miracles happen and often unfortunately these claims are simply not founded. Eyebrows and lashes has been an important part of many peoples beauty routine for some years now, but recently there has been a trend in having eyelash extensions and HD or enhancing brows.

One treatment that is available is Henna brows. Henna is a type of semi permanent dye that is traditionally used to create temporary tattoos. It is also known as Mehndi and is said to bring good luck which is why many Indian brides wear it on their wedding day.

Henna brows involves painting the eyebrows with a henna dye and leaving it on for a period of time. After the dye gets wiped off and the skin has been tinted along with the lashes of the eye brow. This can cost between £23-£45 each time and the dye on the skin is likely to last about 3 -7 days and about 4-5 weeks on the lashes. It doesn’t appear to last much longer than regular dye but some people are saying it is less harmful than traditional brow dyes.

Hair extensions have been around for a good number of years now, but each year they get better and better and the more the quality is improved the more people want to have them. One of the things that puts many people off having extensions is the damage they can cause to your hair. It is important if you choose to have hair extensions in that you keep up with the maintenance. This will protect your hair and ensure that the extensions last as long as possible. If you have your natural hair dyed or bleached then you will need to continue to have this done when you have extensions in. Often you can have your hair coloured at the same time as the maintenance needs to be done.

Hair extensions are not cheap and you have to factor in the cost initially as well as the ongoing maintenance cost. This will usually be on top of your normal hair care costs. How often you need to have your extensions maintained can vary depending on the type of extensions you have and how you look after them but often people find they need to go about every 8 weeks. If you leave it longer – up to 12 weeks you may find that you actually have to pay more for the maintenance as it is more work the longer they are left.

During lockdown lots of people struggled with hair extensions as they were not able to get into the hairdressers to have them maintained. All of us are hopefully that we will not have to go into another lock down again, and so it should be quite safe to have them done.

If you have never had extensions in before then it might be a good idea to get some clip in ones and try them first. You can then see what you think about the length of your hair and whether you think they will be suitable for you.

Hair extensions can give lots of people the confidence that they are looking for. It can help you feel happy with your hair and is also a great option for people who have experienced hair loss due to treatment or who cannot grow their hair easily. If you are considering extensions, be sure to choose a reputable hair dresser and one that has plenty of experience and good reviews.

With the government announcing that hairdressers can finally reopen on the 12^th April, many of us are desperately booking appointments. For many of us, it has been months since we have been able to visit the hairdressers and this may mean your hair is in real need of a good cut and that your roots are halfway down your head.

With summer on its way, you may decide that you want a different sort of cut this time. Often people tend to go a little lighter in the summer as the sun will naturally lighten hair anyway. If you are blonde, you may decide to have a few more highlights put in or even to go for a tint such as apostle purple or pink.

When it comes to choosing your hairdresser, it is important that you find someone you can trust. Telling them the sorts of styles and colours you like is a great idea but try and listen to their advice too, after all they are the experts and will know what works and what doesn’t. I you want a cut but are worried about having too much taken off, ask them to take a smaller amount first and so you can see before they take any more.