Life & Style

Expert opinion

Ouch! Advice from the right people can make all the difference, writes Melanie Morris

Sat May 08 2004 - 01:00

Ouch! Advice from the right people can make all the difference, writes Melanie Morris

CHARLES WORTHINGTON ON CURLS

Forget those poker-straight blow-drys; curly hair is the hottest look this summer. Fresh off Julien Macdonald's catwalk, super-celeb hairstylist Charles Worthington tells you how to get big, bouncy hair, reminiscent of Jerry Hall and Marie Helvin's dos of the early 1980s:

  • Prime clean, damp hair with Results Body-Booster Silkening Mousse and blow-dry smooth.
  • Set hair with medium-sized heated rollers, on a low side parting.
  • Once rollers have cooled, brush through curls with a paddle brush, to create gentle waves (go easy if you have very straight hair).
  • Spray with Results Invisible Hold Thickening Hair Spray to hold style without stickiness.
  • All of Charles Worthington's products come in travel sizes, so get an extra hair spray for your handbag.

LIBBY RYAN ON EYEBROWS

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Well-groomed brows are the ultimate face-framer and Libby's devotees drive hundreds of miles for an appointment. Using Anastasia of Beverley Hills products (available by mail order through Libby's salon, Elysian Therapy, Leopardstown Road, Dublin) here's how to DIY:

To shape brows:

  • Soften brows with Pre-Tweeze Gel.
  • Pluck. Work from the underside up, use a pencil vertically beside nose to find strays in the centre of brow. Don't pluck on top.
  • Calm skin with Anastasia After Tweeze Cream.

To make-up brows:

  • Apply Eyelights Matte, or any highlighter directly under the arch and blend to give an illusion of added height.
  • With a blunt brush, apply powder, going with the hair at a perpendicular angle from the centre to the arch, and then outwards, but from the upper side of the brow to create desired effect. This again gives greater height and arch.
  • Set with brow gel, applying to the inside of brows with applicator and then distributing evenly with a brush.

MILISSA DEERING ON WAXING

Milissa is a therapist at the spa in the Four Seasons Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin (01-6654000) and while she reckons salon waxing is far speedier, more thorough and less painful, here are a few tips if you need some home help:

  • Invest in a professional waxing bowl and kit. It will pay dividends in the long run. Call Salon Services on 01-4595622.
  • Exfoliate first.
  • Use tea tree-based products to aid healing and protect against in-growing hairs.
  • Taking painkillers beforehand is a bit of an urban myth, but whatever gets you through it.
  • Most importantly, hold the skin really taught while removing the wax strips. It's the secret to success and especially important with the upper lip to prevent blood spotting.