Hello… its been a while.

Well what a journey it’s been these last few months! 2020 looked to be getting off to a great start, a new year, new focus, new plans and new energy. A year with even numbers in it (2020) always feels like its going to be positive doesn’t it! Well what a shock to the system it was, when we suddenly had the rug pulled out from under us in March.

The big C-19 (an uneven number see, we don’t like this one as much) put a lot of our plans and goals on hold this year. We’ve had to cancel and postpone special events, we’ve been unable to see our loved ones as we would normally. And life as we knew it, had to stop for a while.

But out of the rain, comes shine. We’ve been able to reconnect with ourselves, refresh and reset. Its forced us to stop, look at what is happening around us and really start to value the gift of being present. Of course there have been very difficult and trying times, we’ve all had to make some difficult decisions and sacrifices. But I feel like its really shown us the meaning of true human spirit - how we can all pull together and really be here when we need to be.

Personally, I’ve not been able to work for nearly 4 months now. It was a welcome break if I’m honest, a chance to reflect on what I want to do and who I want to be going forward. I felt like I’d become stuck in a bit of a rut with my time schedule, balancing work and life when you’re self-employed can become very off kilter very quickly, and all my head space was taken up with worrying about something, anything that I could think of.

And so I get to the point : ) At present, the beauty industry is still closed. We’re still waiting for the go-ahead on when we are able to open officially. Once this has been okayed, there will be a short time of catch up with all of my lovely clients. I’ve missed doing your treatments, seeing your faces regularly and chatting about life and love.

But going forward, I will be making some changes to the business. Taking some areas out, and adding some areas in. It’s going to take time and patience, but I know by the end of it, both me and you (hopefully) will be happy with the results!

Lauren Coombes Makeup will be getting a bit of a re-vamp, a re-brand and a renewed energy and style. One of the main changes will be starting up this blog again, taking you through the changes and getting your feedback.

I’ve always found change very hard to adapt too, I find it quite a challenge. But this time out has made me realise that sometimes change is for the good, so here’s to CHANGE! Lets welcome in the newness and I hope you can all enjoy the journey with me.

Lauren

Can you get your brow colour wrong? YES, Yes and yes!

Too dark, too light, it is easy to get it wrong. Thankfully with tints, they fade reasonably quickly, so if you do make a mistake it can be quickly rectified.

If you’d like a bit of a helping hand with it though, here's a rough guide to the tone and shade of colour you can get away with, in accordance with your hair colour.

BLONDES

Generally speaking, you can swing either way : ) Personally, I always feel a platinum blonde can afford to go quite dark. Natural-dark brown tint or a dark ash tone. The contrast looks beautiful and striking if done properly.

Light to medium blondes - stick to your golden/light brown tints (if you have more of an ashy tone to your blonde, add some ash or grey/graphite into the tint mix). It gives a subtle contrast between your hair colour and your brows, whilst still complimenting your eye and skin colour. Without being OTT.

Dark blondes - go for a natural brown, with a small mix of black tint in so that it keeps its richness.

BRUNETTES

Light browns - stick to a neutral, natural shade of Brown for your tint. This will still darken and enrichen the colour of your brows, but won’t feel overboard.

Mid Golden Browns - Natural - Dark Brown Tint. The natural mid tint colours tend to have warmth in them (rather than cool tone) so you’ll keep a warm, soft shade to your brows. A red tint could also be mixed into this combo.

Dark Brown - Dark Brown with black mix - This will give just enough colour definition without looking like the shape is over taking your face!

REDS

Dependant on whether you’re naturally strawberry blonde, naturally red, or auburn you can mix around your tint shades.

Strawberry blonde - Keep in with your golden light blonde tints with a small mix of ash. This will give them depth and a little bit of punch, whilst staying quite soft.

Naturally red - You can definitely afford to go with a natural brown tint with this hair colour. This will tone down the warmth (if they are over warm or if you want to take it down a notch or two) and keep them looking soft and make the whites of your eyes pop. You could also add in a red tint.

Auburn - A mid-dark brown would be perfection for this hair colour in contrast.

To finish…

I would always (personally) advise to have your brows tinted by a brow professional. They will have better mixes of tint, and will be used to seeing a variety of colourings in people.

Tinting ALL of the hair around your brow is also a big YES. It gives the impression of thicker brows and allows you to shape them (whether at home or with a specialist) into a fuller brow.

Also, please ALWAYS do a tint patch test first, before you dye your eyebrows to avoid allergic reactions.

Love

L xoxo

Gwen Stefani

Platinum Blonde with Dark Brown Brows

Angelina Jolie

Dark Brunette - Dark Brown & Black Mix

Emma Stone

Redhead - Natural Brown with warmth