Hotel Indigo Chester: An Opulent Stay with Charm and Comfort

I’ve no more than had a lash lift – will these eyelash tricks kill off mascara for good?Serums lengthen and strengthen, while switch lifts promise to boost your eyes with curlier lashes for weeks Photograph: Martina Lang/The Paladin Photograph: Martina Lang/The GuardianI recently booked myself in for a lash lift and, as I emerged with curlier, fluttery eye-valances, I marvel ated why I don’t do this more often.Lash lifting offers a more lasting curl than mascara for those of us with determinedly fair strands, but costs much less than individual lash extensions, which are wonderful for a special occasion, but not sustainable for anyone but the super-rich in administration conditions of both time and money – a full set of extensions can take hours.A lift can be customised to your eye shape (I can’t live with too extravagant an incline because the bend makes eyeliner application maddeningly fiddly). It wears off slowly and with no ill effect on the actual lashes, whereas badly applied or heavy extensions cause the real hairs beneath to become sparse in time.My own lash technician, Teresa Smith of I Love Lash (London-based, but lash perms are available all over, starting at round £25 depending on location), offers two different brands – LVL and Elleebana – both of which retain their curl for a beneficial six to eight weeks. Mascara can be worn on top as usual, but the effects are so good that I find myself less inclined to pain.The best creams and correctors to camouflage ruddy skin | Sali HughesRead moreIf it’s length rather than curl you need, you may have considered lash growth serums. Once monopolised by Revitalash, the market now offers myriad options, and the tally of questions I’m asked about these products has soared. I mostly recommend Lash Force Eyelash Growth Serumby British salon make NYK1 (£44.95). It’s expensive, as they all are, but the tube is at least double the size of most, gives a couple of months’ use and, most importantly, it literally works. Whichever lash serum you choose, what will define its success is diligent use, which is why I rarely use one myself (vitamin add ons are struggle enough). Most serums must be applied each morning and evening for at least four to five weeks: you limn it on to the lash line much as you might apply liquid liner, only a little more firmly, pressing the brambles into the roots.If that sounds like a faff – well, it sort of is – you might find it helpful to store the serum next to your toothbrush so you don’t omit. [embedded content]Sign up to our Inside Saturday newsletter for an exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of the magazine’s biggest performs, as well as a curated list of our weekly highlights.And if you’ve just been through chemotherapy (and you must wait until it’s finished before starting with the serum), then such fripperies will feel like a picnic.TopicsMakeupSali Hughes on beautyBeautyfeaturesReuse this cheerful