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Asma from Boudoir Lashes

Semi-permanent eyelash extensions are as big today as perms were in the ’80s. And they are pretty similar too, in that they don’t last for longer than a few weeks and tend to have a displeasing regrowth period, making them a bit of a double-edged sword. Having had them as a treat for my big 40th birthday party, I was keen to try again, if only for the initial couple of weeks of just-out-of-bed glamour.

The Process:

Thirty-year-old Asma Docrat set up Boudoir Lashes to quite literally open our eyes to the world of lash and brow beauty last year and has since provided London Fashion Week, Elle’s editorial team and Mario Testino’s photo shoots with copious lash extensions and tidier brows. I found her self-assured, but not arrogant and innocently honest without being impolite.

Noticing that my lashes are naturally pretty long, Asma asked me how I wanted to look as she can tailor the false ones to suit your eyes, face shape and personal preference. With an important business dinner at the House of Lords that night, I was keen to avoid a footballer’s wife look and to walk away with less than obvious extensions. So Asma set about mixing three different extension lengths to create a natural yet lustrous full-lashed flutter.

Each of the synthetic lashes was glued onto my existing lashes in a rather painstaking hour-long process. But as Asma’s fingers are nimble and precise and she, thankfully, makes good company, the treatment time passed quickly without feeling too tedious.

The Result:

The effect is definitely subtle, but also pretty glamorous. Friends notice that something is different but can’t quite put their finger on it. I haven’t reached for the mascara for at least three weeks and even felt like a diva putting the bins out in my pyjamas. The only negatives have been fitting my longer lashes into swimming goggles and, of course, that my new flutter friends won’t last forever.

I had a half set of semi-permanent lashes which costs £85 at Boudoir Lashes (BECCA Boutique) 91a Pelham Street, London, SW7; www.boudoirlashes.co.uk; 020 7225 2501

This article appears on West London Living

Udvartana Detoxing Powder Massage at Jivita Aurveda

The Blurb:

From the street, Jivita Aurveda looks like just another health food shop. These niche shops, stocking more spelt and coconut water than you could ever imagine consuming, have come a long way from Holland and Barrett days of old and seem to be the latest addition on every high street. But don’t be fooled. Anu, the founder and yoga-passionista, offers so much more than healthy food; with two organically designed treatment rooms in the back and endless sound advice how to embrace the Ayurvedic lifestyle (food, herbs, bodycare, beauty products, etc).

The Process:

I was quite relieved that the PR had suggested the treatment I was to have. Choosing from the long list of Indian names might have confused me and, this way, I sailed straight into the dimly lit, warm and inviting treatment room. Anu rubbed (pretty vigorously) warm oil mixed with detoxifiying herbs all over my body, massaging in a sweeping motion. She explained how this signature treatment boosts blood flow, drains toxins and that (this I could believe) is an efficient exfoliation of the skin. Apparently it is also a wonderful way of attacking cellulite as it stimulates and breaks up the fat.

I felt zingy and alert while also curiously relaxed, but maybe that was from just being in Anu’s yogic company. Showering off the herbs in the very attractive wet room, I felt cleansed in a way a regular massage could never leave you.

The Result:

As I left this centre of organic living, Anu suggested I took a bottle of Aloe Vera with me. With its nourishing skin and digestion properties, she felt this would be appropriate for me. This shows that Anu is so much more than a regular therapist, as she can not help herself but prescribe beneficial herbs, vitamins and products.

£75 for one hour.

Jivita Ayurveda  89 Chamberlayne Road, Kensal Rise,London NW10; 020 8964 4993

this article appeared on West London Living