Introducing: Non-Surgical Procedures at Transform

If only I could tell you what we were talking about... :)

Up until recently the Transform Clinic= boobs to me. Lucky for me I was invited along to find out much more about their company at a recent event, and I am so glad I did as I learnt a huge amount about what they are all about. Not only were the facilities in the Glasgow office fantastic but the staff were a real dream to chat to- unbelievably knowledgeable and passionate about what they can do for people and not just at a surgical level. We were there to learn about all the non- surgical treatments you can have and suffice to say I was in my element as the staff were on hand not just to fill us in but let us see first hand some of the treatments in action.

The best cakes have boobs on em :)

We were lucky enough get to watch demonstrations of an Obagi peel, botox and lip fillers and I found it absolutely fascinating. Seeing how quick and pain free these procedures are was amazing to me-the models who were all having the treatments for the first time, barely flinched which was hugely encouraging to a scaredy cat like me!

I have always wanted to try a proper facial peel so I was really keen to see what it might entail and was amazed with the pretty instant results and how little 'red face' it actually leaves you. Without a doubt you could head back to the office after a lunchtime peel without too much obvious signs and the team at Transform all agreed that it can do real wonders for the skin. The Obagi product lines are something I had heard wonderful stuff about with relation to pigmentation so getting to learn more was really insightful and definitely something I am going to look further into.

Botox is something I have always considered as I am pretty paranoid about the deep frown lines I have ( always wear your glasses people!) so I was excited to actually see it performed. Due to the  time it takes for the botox to really take effect we couldn't see anything straight away but in terms of the actual procedure it was fascinating to learn all the little areas it can be applied, even in tiny amounts, to allow for subtle but impactful changes to a persons appearance. Listening to the team give us the background on exactly how it behaves made me realise  how useful it can be in a preventative capacity to stop some wrinkles getting deeper.

Now with the Kylie Jenner phenomen well and truly taking over the world we couldn't go to a clinic and not hear something about lip fillers- they are so in demand right now! I totally had a different idea of what actually happens with fillers so I was completely engrossed in the model having hers done. We learnt that even a simple touch up around the lip line can cause just the emphasis in the right places to create a gorgeous effect but there is also a real build able level so you can get the look you want. Although not something I am keen on having done myself just now it was fab to learn from the pros how it should be done. I say pro's as that's really what I took from the whole evening, that Transform pride themselves on their level of knowledge, skill and professionalism and that is so important to be looking for when picking a clinic to have procedures like these done. Nowadays there are loads of less reputable places who are willing to pop a bit of filler in on the side of hair cut but that doesn't mean it is a good idea, some times you have to pay more to get a good, safe job done.

DELIGHTED to get to watch the demos

It was such a fab night getting to talk treatments with fellow bloggers and the clinic staff- it is always so nice to be in a room with similarly interested people and it was really great to get to ask questions that I have always wondered about. You can tell the staff are more than happy to sit down with anyone who might be the same and be curious about treatments or what might be beneficial for them. It is not just peels and fillers either, I was really intrigued to learn about the clinical grade skincare they can actually prescribe to people with acne. One of the staff at the night actually had the most phenomenal skin I have ever seen so I was shocked to learn that was actually thanks to using some of the Obagi line the clinic offer alongside having a few peels! The whole night was fantastically put together and it was great to get to see first hand how some of these treatments are performed.
I am a big believer in people having whatever done that might make them feel more confident in themselves and Transform are obviously dedicated to making sure that is achieved in the most professional and skilled way possible.

If you are considering any kind of treatments I highly recommend making an appointment to speak to one of the lovely staff- the Glasgow Clinic is located on Ingram Street and you can reach them on 0141 204 4567

Clearing up my skin with SK:N

Apologies for the break, a really busy few weeks combined with my skin turning into a raging spotty mess left me feeling not into blogging. It is amazing just how much your skin knocks your confidence and mood and this recent occurrence really left me feeling flat. I had very little skin problems in my teens which I feel super fortunate about, when I hit my 20's however it decided it was time to make up for it and a few changes in the pill and hormones had it in a right mess. It has never helped that I am a classic picker, oh yes- the skins worse nightmare. Pre-blogging and BCH ( before Caroline Hirons- obvs) I did the textbook approach of using the strongest, most foaming, and most irritating amount of products I could get my hands on to try and clear it up which I know now just has the opposite effect and gets the skin panic producing more oil! My skin eventually settled back down and aside from my pigmentation I didn't suffer too badly aside from the odd hormonal pimple, that is until now! I developed a nasty staph infection on my face which was the start of my recent woes, and deeply unattractive to look at ( crusting anyone?!) and it seems to have left in its wake a bout of possible acne. Now it could just be my skin going back through that 7-8 year cycle and changing, my hormones are possibly all over the shop or it could be from something my face isn't liking but it has been causing me all sorts of problems. From deep cystic lumps to sudden pustules out of nowhere and a heck of a lot of scarring being left over ( once a picker always a picker) I have been at my wits end trying to apply all the skin care knowledge I have to try and turn the situation around with out creating long term damage.

A while back I had been sent a range of the SK:N products to give a whirl but at the time the infection was just appearing on my face and they had to go right on the back burner while I calmed the initial situation down. I have since then being using a few of their products to try and both help the spots and also hydrate and moisturise the face and found they have been a big help so I had to share. I know about SK:N from their clinics and the great range of treatments they offer, but I had no idea they have their own line of products on offer too. With 5 ranges available covering corrective, repair and protect, anti-ageing and anti-blemish, they have definitely got your needs covered. I like the slick, clinical looking packaging, I love that the site lists all ingredients along with product information ( including instructions) and I like the actual product packaging as well- clean, functional and decent sizes. 

For the spot tackling side I have been incorporating the products containing ingredients like salycilic, glycolic and malic acid to help dissolve the oil and debris that was clogging my pores. The Glycolic Cleanser is a joy to use and the combination of active ingredients has been amazing on gently exfoliating the dead skin cells that have been causing me  problems and leaving my skin feeling really clean without over stripping it. It has a clip top lid, comes in a 200ml bottle and I find applying the thin liquid to the face and letting it do its work for a few minutes before gently removing works best and I have been loving using this as a post gym cleanser in the AM to keep my skin free of sweat and build up.

I have tried a combination of these Anti- Blemish products over the last couple of months and been similarly impressed. A couple of times a week I have incorporated the magic ingredients of Glycolic and Vitamin A in the Pore Refining Lotion which have again been helping to remove the dead skin cells that were causing my troubles and help slow down the over production of more. I have been using this in the PM after a balm cleanser and being sure to only use a really small amount. It is important not to overdo it when using ingredients like these as you can easily aggravate the skin even more making the spots worse but with gentle use of this I was definitely noticing less spots occurring. In the AM I have been moving between the Blemish Control Lotion and the Maintenance Serum depending on how inflamed my spots were and they have been fab at keeping my oily skin at bay and work really well under my make up.

To make sure my skin was staying hydrated at the same time as these stronger products I was using a couple of the anti-ageing range too which  has been really lovely to use. With the other products having exfoliating properties it was important to make sure my SPF game was strong so I picked up the Moisturising Cream with SPF 30 to make sure I was protected. This bad boy is oil free which is music to my skin clogging ears and rich in antioxidants which should be working away to keep wrinkles at bay as well as helping my skin say soft and clear. If I was being nit picky I would love this in a tube form as jars always get my hygiene shackles up  but it has performed really well and not clogged my skin like other SPFs often do.  For my hols in August I am definitely going to look into their SPF 50 product which is only £19 and is also tinted so could be perfect for my next SPF adventure!

With ageing being on my radar generally I was excited to try out the Age Delaying cream for Younger Skin which I love! Stacked with the important anti-oxidant vitamins C and E alongside some vitamin A for cell turnover and shea butter hydrating the skin, this leaves my skin feeling amazingly plump after applying it at night time.

Over all I am super impressed by the ranges and the quality mix of ingredients they have put together. for the prices. I like their no nonsense approach to just tackling various skin problems head on and they have certainly been a huge help in getting my skin back on track and back to being much clearer and even again. I am hoping to get into the Glasgow SK:N clinic soon so will report back if their treatments live up to the results from the products.

Have a fab weekend everyone!

Reuse, Recycle and Upcycle

In my last post I filled you in on my exciting morning at the Ideal Home Show at the SECC. Aside from exploring the amazing array of vendors, we had actually been invited along to learn a little more about how to reuse and recycle items to bring a new lease of life to our homes. We were treated to a talk from the gorgeous Emily Rose who you will remember I was lucky enough to learn all about upcycling with in the past, and a personal walk-through by the lovely designer, John Amabile's show-rooms at the event,  by the man himself. If this wasn't enough we got to get to chat to the amazing team at Revolve who are part of Zero Waste Scotland and what they have set out to do is definitely something close to my heart. For those who follow me on Instagram and twitter- I am a huge fan of second-hand anything, the contents of my wardrobe to the majority of the furniture in my home have all come from charity shops and its something I promote whenever possible. People can still be a bit funny at the idea of  getting something that is not brand new and that is why Revolve are working to add a standard of quality to lots of places selling second hand goods in Scotland. They want to make it more inviting, easier and safer for people to purchase used goods, and if you spot their logo you know you are buying from somewhere that sells good products and are committed to quality and customer service. They are working hard to try and make second hand the first choice and I absolutely love what they are doing, Along with Emily and John, the Revolve team talked us through just how easy it can be to upcycle old pieces with furniture paint and stencils etc and it was amazing to see how different a piece can look after a little TLC that doesn't require any amazing skills just a bit of enthusiasm. John and Emily were in agreement that a lick of paint, replacing handles and using fun fabrics with colour can turn things around really quickly and encourage you to be really creative with your style. For my adventures in re working pieces, I find that using something older makes me less 'precious' about trying my hand with it- nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that jazz means I have definitely been bolder in giving things a go and it really has made the opportunities endless.

John showed us through his show-rooms at the event which were great for getting inspiration for how you could mix new pieces with older upcycled pieces, they had even put together my favourite room of the show entirely from second hand items and I thought it looked absolutely fantastic. They looked like the kind of pieces you might spend a fortune on in Urban Outfitters but were actually just cheaper IKEA numbers with a couple of adjustments, or a chair that a shop was literally throwing out that was given a little love and totally transformed. There is something so inspiring in people getting behind the recycling mindset, I can't wait to get my hands on a project soon and inject some new life into my flat.

Glasgow Reviewed; The Ideal Home Show

Last weekend I was invited along to experience the Ideal Home Show Scotland with the focus of the bloggers event being the reuse of older furniture and how upcycling can transform a home. Now it will come as no surprise that this aspect of it was right up my street, so much so that I will cover that in a post of its own, but for now I just wanted to fill you in on my time at the show generally. This was my first time going along but have been at similar from big crafting expos, to Girls Days out, but the Ideal Home Show was by far the absolute best. There were three huge halls absolutely stacked full with 400 exhibitors selling things like food and drink to beauty to the obvious homewares to gardening too, without a doubt there something for everyone and it was such a good laugh to go and explore.

Ally and I headed into the show not knowing exactly what to expect and were really impressed with the line-up of stalls and products to take a look at, the good offers that were being extended and the all round fun element it brought to a day out. We had a fantastic time racing between the big garden pods, to trying samples of gins to watching cookery demonstrations and learning about products and brands we had never heard of before. We got to chat to the owners and creators of lots of Scottish made products which was lovely, and it was great to store away some ideas for when we have a bigger home of our own. I was really impressed with the whole day and totally recommend heading along next time- my top tips would be to go early before it gets too rammed, take some cash out before you head in to beat some of the queues and be sure to check out the timetable for demonstrations and talks on the main stage so you don’t miss any!

We had such a good time we sent my mum and dad along on the Sunday to enjoy it too and they couldn’t get enough either! They were there most of the day and left with a lot of the same stuff we did ( Heck sausages, the gorgeously packaged Rock and Rose Gin and a print from Urban Rebel Designs ) I think all four of us will definitely be heading along next time around, I am already excited!