Aimie wheatley and her favourite nail work

So the title pretty much says it all. As you all know I'm a crazy passionate nail technician in Cardiff and I'm obsessed with creating amazing nails! 

Here is a monthly update of some of my favourite work. Feel free to email any questions you may have about products, techniques or anything else you may have related to nails. 

Enjoy! Xx

Please note these photos are all taken and the property of Aimie Victoria Wheatley. Please use the contact me tab if you wish to use these photos. Thank you. 

Hypermobility and me.

Hi guys!! 

So I've been on a long old journey with bad knees for quite some time now. 

The pain was interrupting my life day in day out. I felt like an arthritic 90 year old in a 26 year olds body! As you can imagine pain like this can really start to get you down. I struggled to get out of bed, waking hurt and standing up from sitting was beyond a joke. There was one time I was sat on a train for around an hour and I actually couldn't physically lift myself from the chair. A woman in her twenties shouldn't be like that!!!!! I had to haul myself up using my upper body strength ( what I have of it anyway) by grabbing the headrest. It was a rugby day in good ol' Wales so as you can imagine plenty of people saw that! I was in agony as I got off the train only for my cars battery to have died and I had to walk 20 minutes home! FUMING! 

That was a massive turning point for me. I knew something had to be done. I simply couldn't live like this any more. 

I headed to my GP who put in a referral to a Rheumatologist and a physiotherapist. As you can imagine the wait for the hospital, even on the highest priority list was long. 

The physio came first. My first session I had a great guy who instantly assumed my problem was stemming from my joints being hyper mobile. I was thinking to myself "wait isn't that double jointed people? That's not me surely". I did so much ballet as a child and I was always the least flexible there. But out of my friends I was always the most, bendy, I guess you can call it. 

Sadly my physiotherapist was moving on to another hospital after our first session. My next session with another chap was okay but he didn't agree with the hypermobility diagnosis. Said my muscles were too weak and I needed to work them to get better support around my joints decreasing my pain. Hmmm. 

He recommended going to the gym and working certain muscle groups like my quads and glutes. I got my gym membership and got straight on it. I mean I had to at least try! Yes I noticed a small improvement but nothing spectacular and breathed a sigh of relief when I was signed off. 

As time went on, still waiting to see the rheumatology consultant I carried on  gymming it a few times a week but I lost hope and gave up. 

Resting up after work each night I had noticed was starting to help. I had also noticed my footwear was playing a BIG part in my pain. I ditched what I thought were my amazing and comfy wedges for converse and I started noticing things getting better day by day at a rapid pace! 

Woooo I was getting somewhere. 

The rheumatology appointment finally came through after almost a year from referral. 

On the day of the appointment my consultant ran through my history of pain and what I had learnt triggers wise etc. She then did a physical examination. As she was doing all this I could see her noting a score down on my sheet. What I've now come to realise is she was assessing me using the Beighton Score. 

 It's fair to say after some X-rays and other tests I have been diagnosed with Joint hypermobility syndrome. An answer at last! 

So now nearly 6 months later, I'm in a different place. I know how to cope. Where to push my body and where not too. 

My next post will be a life as a hypermobile and my new fitness journey! 

Is there anyone out there who suffers with this? 

Get in touch if so! 

Sorry for the long history lesson there it just makes all the next lot of posts more relevant and understandable.

Thanks for reading! 

Aimie xx

Beautiful storage by Ted Baker

Every girls boudoir is her happy place. A place to relax after a long day, with your favorite scent of Yankee candle burning away decorated exactly how you want. 

Now I don't know about anyone else but storage can always be a nightmare. I'm a beautician with a million different products and tools and I never have anywhere to store all my thingymabobs and whatsitcalleds. 

Ted baker has long been a well loved brand my me. I ONLY buy my purses from them and I have a few well loved handbags and clothing too. Even their beauty ranges at Christmas can be seriously delightful. How happy was I when I got an absolutely stunning 3 piece Ted Baker storage set from Internet gift store. 

C/o Internet gift store

As you can see these boxes are simply gorgeous. Unwrapping them was heaven. I was like WOW this box is stunning, opened it up and was like WOW even even more gorgeous box only to open again and find 3! To say I was pleased was an understatement. 

The dramatic floral print really works with my current love of all the autumnal colours and themes. All three boxes are very spacious and look great together or you could separate the, and dot them around the place. Now I have a place to keep all my medication, ipad, chargers, speakers, and besuty nick nacks all whilst looking fabulous! 

You can find these beauties over at www.internetgiftstore.com. They have everything you could possibly imagine and great deals with up to 80% off products, free delivery on orders over £35, personalised gifts and next day delivery services. They stock amazing brands like Yankee, Disney, Ted Baker and Star Wars (great for the upcoming new film, which I for one can. Not wait for!!) I think a Christmas shop is in order. It's never too early! 

How do you like to best use your storage? I'd love to hear! Comment below and let me know. 

Lots of love 

Aimie xx

Louboutin Charme lipstick

Omg it's here!!! The love of my life has done it again and crested more masterpieces yet again. Does the genius ever end? 

 I have a serious case of beauty lust for these beautifully crafted lipsticks. 

Luckily on the day of launch me and my beaute of a boyfriend just so happened to have a week off and had spent the majority of it in London. Launch day we just so happened to be in central London (talk about fateful convienience). So we jumped on the underground and headed straight to Selfridges. It was like walking into heaven. 

It was displayed stunningly as you can see. The Louboutin Charme can be worn as a necklace for the ultimate in luxury to be with you at all times. The packaging is so beautiful you won't want to take it out of its classically designed rouge and black box. 

As you can see I also picked up the classic rouge Louboutin nail lacquer too. Couldn't resist. Hehe. 

The lipsticks come in 38 shades in 3 difference finishes; Silky Satin, Sheer Voile, and Velvet Matte and it includes the iconic Louboutin red.

With Louboutins roots from Egypt and Queen Nefertiti being drawn upon as the main inspiration, the lipstick / jewellery charm also draws inspiration from the brands most iconic shoes and handbags. 

The counter has mirrors with the lipstick Charmes scattered all around it giving it the most incredible luxurious feel. I left with a seriously heavy heart wishing i owned one! 

Here you can see just how elaborate the detailed designs are. How could you not want to own one? Or all 38 haha. 

So I spent a little while choosing out a colour and I generally always go for pinks but there was a gorgeous Kylie Jenner style nude ( tutulle in silky satin). I was seriously torn but went for the pink (bikini 120). Next payday I may just get the nude! However what may put people off is the price. As you know Christian Louboutin is a hugely known high end luxury brand so that means high end prices. I had a little devil on my shoulder in the form of my boyfriend whispering "buy it, treat yourself". HELLO as if this girl needs persuading! I didn't ask the price I just took it straight to the till. Okay so the price £60. And you know what I don't care. I've got a beautiful product that really stands up in all longevity tests and the quality is unrivalled. Amazing for the first ever range from this brand. There is no scent which makes it ideal for literally every girl out there. I absolutely adore and love it and I will be buying more! 

Thank you so much Christian Louboutin for setting my heart on fire with beauty lust. 

Think I'll be rocking this with my Just Picks this weekend for a birthday night out. 

ARK skin perfector hydration injection masque review.

Hi guys!! 

I've been having serious skin issues lately. I mean like hello pizza face skin issues. What really troubles me is that I have had great skin all my life. It's always been clear, spot free and just generally lovely. I hit 25 and it all went downhill. I know a lot of it is hormonal however I'm doing all I can to try and keep my skin care routine as beneficial as I possibly can. 

Over the past year I've tried everything. I've been using spot preventing oil free products to try and calm it to no avail. I was still oily in my typical problem areas (forehead and chin) and then extremely dry across my cheeks and nose. NOT GOOD!! So I know that oil free products for my problem skin are a no no because my skin needed serious hydration. 

So looking at ARKs hydration injection masque on first appearance it seems great. Hydration! It claims to have "innovative formulations created with natural ingredients for beautifully healthy skin". It also says on the packaging that it's free from many things I hate. Parabens, a massive no no for me due to its hideous cancer causing reputation. Alcohol which can be drying. Sulphates, a synthetic detergent which can strip your skin of moisture. It has no artificial fragrances or colours and it boasts that it is made in Britain. These are all very important factors to me and I believe should be to us all. 

Packaging: When I got hands on with this product I firstly noticed how hard it was to open, which after being opened two or three times is now fine and pops straight open. The packaging is simple and chic. White and embossed with silver it looks beautiful on the dresser.  

Smell: Gorgeous. Being a beauty therapist I've smelled many many products used in spas and this smells just like it could be in a spa. It smells like the beautiful aromatherapy oils we use and I COULDN'T WAIT to get it on my skin. 

Texture: Feels like an oily gel. Glides right across the skin like silk. A little goes a long way. You can almost feel your skin tightening as it drys. Very sticky until dry but dries quickly so I didn't find his an issue at all. 

Results: As a twenty something it reccomends it's left on the skin for approximately 5 minutes, removed with a hot cloth and patted dry. It also says it can be used overnight for a more intensive treatment. I chose to do this. 

Myself aged 26 and my mother aged 50 both tried this as an overnight treatment. I could really smell it as I got into bed which was really pleasant and nice to drop off to. When I woke in the morning my skin looked NOTICABLY smoother. My pores looked much tighter, my eye bags were a hell of a lot less obvious. My skin felt beautifully soft and hydrated and I also noticed a slight decrease in the colour of some of my spot redness. It has a hyaluronic acid booster to drench skin with moisture, optimising the circulation of water through all skin layers and providing 24 hour protection against water loss. Also my makeup the next morning applied much better than usual. My skin felt great. Simple. 

My mother noticed very similar results although she woke up with much more noticeable tightness even to the point where both women and men were asking what she had done as she looked really bright and fresh. She noted the same as me when it came to scent, makeup application in the morning, much tighter eye bags etc. She loved it so much she wants her own bottle and I will definatley be purchasing again. 

So to conclude my review, would I buy again? YES. Would I reccomend to others? YES! There are so many products around now days that promise so much and deliver so little. To come across a product such as this that actually genuinely delivers is incredible.

ARK have a full range of products over on their website www.arkskincare.com 

I know you won't regret it! 

Look how smooth my skin looks after using it! 

Let me know if you have tried and love it or if you have your own miracle skincare products you love. Either comment below or tweet me @aimsie 

Lots of love Aimie. 

To do or not to do? Laser hair removal in Cardiff.

So as all my regular readers will be fully aware I am a fully trained beauty therapist  and am always on the look out to try new treatments or finding ways to give me an easier life. 

So I've been umming and aaahing for a while about laser hair removal. Bye bye hair *waves*.  A  few years ago I had a couple of sessions on my underarms, but didn't get chance to finish it so the hair now has completely grown back to normal. So I've been on the prowl for a good clinic that can get the job finished for me. Most important thing to me is that the clinic looks professional and trustworthy, ideally in Cardiff. 

SK:N clinic in Cardiff instantly caught my eye. The site looks professional and it shows at the bottom of the website that it works in partnership with the NHS (instantly eases my mind) and that they have been seen on numerous TV channels which again shows me they are reputable and can be trusted. 

I headed over to the laser hair removal page which had loads of information that answered pretty much all of the questions I had, also some nice testimonials. There was also a 30% off voucher! This would cost me £456 for a 6 treatment course plus the 30% off!!! How Can i resist this? I think a call to book a consultation is needed. Whilst browsing I noticed they also have a few different treatments for acne which is something that has really been bothering me lately, especially around my chin area. Nothing seems to help. Feel free to post anything that has helped you below readers!

I'll let you know how it goes :-) Really excited to visit this fab looking clinic!!

Semi Permanent make up Cardiff, South Wales. Cosmetic tattooing

Hi hi!

So I've been mulling over the idea of getting my eyebrows tattooed for literally years. I over plucked as an idiot teen, not that I had much to play with anyway! I've spent the last few years powdering my brows in everyday as part of my morning routine only for them to disappear again at night. I was having HD brows for a few years and although it helped a lot it still wasn't enough. I just couldn't escape the fact I wanted something there when I took off my make up. 

It was my birthday a few days ago and I am off to Marbella next week. So I was thinking I need to look my best for somewhere with a glam reputation like Marbs. So decided to just go for it! Why the hell not?!

So this is me before, bare faced may I add.

Can I start off by saying a massive thank you to Jade at The Contour Clinic Cardiff. She managed to fit me in at really short notice, which was amazing! She was instantly warm and friendly and I felt at ease instantly. We chatted for a bit after I had filled in all the relevent forms and applied some numbing creme around my brows. We talked about my expectations and what I wanted to get out of the treatment. I showed her a few pictures and we decided to go for a fairly natural but slightly more dramatic hair stroke finish. 

I lay on the bed and it began with me having my brows drawn on into the desired shape. This took a little while as its obviously important its right. I was matched to a colour that was the same as my natural hair colour. Once we were both happy the tattooing began. Was it uncomfortable? Yes a little. I wont lie. Although no where near as bad as being threaded!!! It took a little while to finish them and I was more than delighted when I got to look in the mirror. 

I am totally happy with the results. I had them done a few days ago so I am still in the sexy slightly scabby stage at the moment, but i suffered no pain after, no swelling, no nothing! Amazing. I am healing really well and I can't wait to see them fully settled. 

I would recommend The Contour Clinic to anyone thinking of getting semi permanent cosmetics such as eyebrows, eye liner or lip liner. I love the fact I can save time in the morning because the brows are already there. Hells yeah!

Here is my after picture.

For lots lots more of The Contour Clinics before and afters and testimonials and prices etc visit the facebook here. 

If you are thinking about cosmetic tattooing or want any more information like how long they last and more click here. This is written alot better than I could put it.

I'll post healed pictures up very soon!

Lots of love

Aimie xxx