Many of you know that I won a Mommy Makeover from www.vancouvermom.ca that I am super excited about. What you may not know is that last July I also won a set of eyelash extensions on Twitter from Queen Bee Spa. I hadn't claimed them when I won the makeover in November so I asked Emily if I could have them done at the same time as my makeover. She agreed and asked if she could also give me a facial, eyebrow shaping and tinting and a manicure? Ummm.....YES!! :) Here's a link to her blog post and below is my write up of my day with her as well as before and after pictures.

In the cozy attic of an historical home in New Westminster I got to spend a lovely day with Emily, owner of Queen Bee Spa. She at once made me feel welcome and comfortable as well let me know I was in the hands of a professional with questionnaires about my health and previous experiences. She also made me aware of the risks involved in having lash extensions. Thankfully she is well trained, a stickler for cleanliness and very proud of her work.

We began the day with a facial which I expected to enjoy and feel refreshed by but what I didn’t expect was at how beautiful my skin looked afterwards. It was fresh, glowing and firm and the results lasted. Five days later when having my hair and make-up done by other professionals they kept remarking on what beautiful skin I had and that I must take good care of it. I don’t, but Emily sure did. J I purchased a gel exfoliant and moisturizer from her that have helped maintain my skin since then. Emily also shaped and tinted my eyebrows which is something I’d considered doing but hadn’t yet tried. The tinting framed my eyes without the hassle of filling my brows in every morning.

Next up was a manicure with Shellac polish. I love having red nails but never do because they’re chipped by the next day. Emily encouraged me to let her apply red and assured me that they would last. I’m a busy mom and a baker and my hands endure a lot of wear and tear. I couldn’t believe how well her manicure lasted. It was 10 days before my first nail chipped. Amazing!! I’ll never get a standard manicure again. And believe it or not, the polish is so strong that she was able to moisturize and massage my hands after the application.

And last but definitely not least, she applied the lash extensions. She carefully observed and measured my lashes. After undergoing chemotherapy my lashes had grown back lighter and more sparse and she explained that she wouldn’t be able to apply a heavy long lash but would instead extend them by just 2 mm and that they would be thicker. You’ll have to check out my before and after photos, it’s pretty amazing. With the lash extensions and the tinted eyebrows I felt totally comfortable leaving the house in a hurry without make-up. I have since heard horror stories from friends who have had extensions applied at well known salons where the technicians didn’t take into account the health and length of their existing eyelashes and ended up with a heavy fringe that drooped. Some lost their own lashes from trying to remove a poorly applied set and have found that they didn’t grow back as well. You’ve only got one set of eyes and adhesive and extensions come very close to them. You want to make sure the technician is well trained and uses very clean practices. Emily does and I would definitely recommend her services. In this case you get what you pay for.

Thanks for a great day Emily!