My Beauty Bootcamp Experience

Just over a week ago I was lucky enough to attend the All Ages Beauty & Hair course at Beauty Bootcamp on Upper Fitzwilliam St. When I left my house at 9 o'clock that morning I didn't really know what to expect from the day, but I ended up having such an amazing time. I like the idea of seeing how a certain look/style is done and trying to recreate it yourself, I really think it's the best way to learn. The Georgian building that Beauty Bootcamp is held in is absolutely beautiful and the rooms where the course takes place are big and spacious. On arrival I met the lovely Emma Jane who walked the group (10 in total) through different hair looks. My hair is a disaster at the moment after years of using the straightener so it was quite hard to get the styles to say put. During the 3 hours before lunch, we all learned the basics in blowdrying, curling and how to achieve a glamourous up do (I enjoyed this the most!). I also have my eye on the Remington Volumiser Hot Brush, come payday next week this will be mine. I could see myself using this alot instead of straightening my hair, as it adds that bit of volume and bounce which I really need. I decided on going for a fancy french twist, which the lovely Emma Jane kindly helped me with, I couldn't be happier at the way my hair turned out. All in all I really enjoyed learning a few tips on different hair styles. I don't tend to do too much with my hair in general but I found this super interesting. After lunch it was time for makeup, my favourite part. I know I do have a beauty blog but you can never have to many tips and tricks when it comes to makeup. All the beauty products were provided, all I needed to bring was my mascara and foundation which was optional as there was a great selection of foundations there. The super talented makeup artist, Leonard Daly showed us how to achieve a flawless foundation with a smokey eye, step by step which I found great. I always apply my foundation with a brush and after listening to Leonard for the three hours, I may be converted to using my fingers. It may not be the quickest compared to brush application, but you end up using so much less product in the process which is a plus if you own a rather expensive foundation. My favourite part was when we learned how to contour as it wouldn't be something I do enough. Another product I must buy is the Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate, I love everything about it including the packaging. I may be waiting a while though as this stuff isn't wallet friendly, but it's amazing for contouring and may indeed be a makeup bag must and these claims come after I tried it once. I don't contour enough and the different it makes is quite extraordinary, it looks like I have amazing cheekbones which I didn't think was possibly by just using one product. I loved the look I achieved at the end using minimal makeup but still getting a flawless finish, I kept my eyes quite simple with some browns and purples. I finished the look with my new favourite mascara Giorgio Armani Eye to Kill mascara*. My lashes look so long and full of volume after I use this, it doesn't clump or leave me with spidery lashes. I'm going to do a full review on this soon. At the course you also get given a booklet which shows easy step by steps to creating a makeup look which I found ever so helpful and it's great that I can refer back to it if I need to.

Here are some before and after pictures, I'm half asleep in the no makeup picture, along with my extremely frizzy hair that is almost impossible to work with in the mornings. Being the first no makeup picture on my blog, I wasn't sure if to put it up but I think it's a must with this post.

I really enjoyed my day at Beauty Bootcamp, I learnt so much in the space of a day. I'd love to book a course for my Mom and I before Christmas. It's something I know she'd really like to do herself as she loves learning new tips and tricks. If you want to check out some of the courses Beauty Bootcamp have to offer you can check out them out here. The day course itself would be great for before a hens or even someones birthday party as you'd be all glammed up for the night ahead.

Laura<3