This week I have impulse-bought Botox AND semi-permanent make-up from Groupon. Will it all end in tears?

[wellwisher]

I'm a bit nervous because I can't find any reviews of either provider online. I think I might have been a bit silly but I can still get a refund on either or both vouchers...

Have had Botox before but always from one of the top Harley Street dermatologists (Nick Lowe). However, he's putting up his prices to £375 a session and I can't justify that. The Groupon voucher was £89 and I would just use it to get my horizontal forehead wrinkle done. Anyone got any experiences of Andrew Carr at Aesthetics On Harley Street, 2 Harley Street, London?

I have not had semi-permanent make-up before. I want a v subtle lip blush/lipline definition treatment. Nothing scary or unnatural-looking. If money were no object I would go to Debra Robson-Lawrence but the Groupon deal is a quarter of the price. It's for Adorn Make-up in Swiss Cottage, London - anyone been there or know anything about them?

bump anyone?

No, you won't be able to express emotion of any kind, so it won't end in tears.

I'm after some lipline definition myself, and I have considered lip tattooing (although i think this is permanent). However, I saw a programme yesterday in which Nick Lowe himself warned against this treatment because, he said, as you age, and your lips start to recede, you will be left with a permanent line on your face where your lips used to be!!

I draw mine on now!! I'd love to know how you get on, though, and hope you find some advice!

Sorry, but under no circumstances would I have either of these procedures through Groupon. You want to be sure that if you are having these that you get the best you can afford and I really believe that getting them the 'bargain' way is a mistake.

Consider it carefully before you have it done.

I have had Botox a number of times, but via Groupon, twice. First time I went to Sculptra Clinic at 10 Harley Street, and the second, I went to the St John Clinic at Elys store in Wimbledon. First time I paid £50 for one area (had crows feet done) and the second it was £99 for 2 areas (I had crows feet and glabella treated). Just as good results as when I have paid full price via other clinics. Like anything, you research the clinic/practitioner before buying. A case in point, is I have seen a fantastic deal for Body Tite fat removal via KGB-but I decided to let it go after reading some considerable feedback that the procedure/service at the discounted rates at that particular clinic fell short.

Thanks everyone - biryani that is terrifying! I have seen that with eyebrows before but never with lips. Am going to cancel the lip tattooing (still within the 7-day Groupon refund window) - £180 will buy me 40 of my favourite lip pencils - and just go ahead with the Botox. Will post my results...

Can't wait to hear! Incidentally, my botox was only £175.

At least you have had botox done before - so you will be able to 'suss' out how they are talking to you before they start injecting you. I guess you will have to have a consult prior to the actual jabs - then you can ask for your money back if they sound dodgy - or ill trained etc.

If its only semi permanent make up - it should be ok?? It WILL wear off if looks bad? But I wouldn't spend £180 on it!! I'd just find a really long lasting lipstick that you like the colour of and use it.

I always worry that, in the unlikely event of a passionate kiss, my lippy will rub off and I will be left with a rather unattractive "no-mouth" look something like Zippy in Rainbow!!

Semi Permanent make up can last 3-5 years. No way would I go to someone that I'd not done research or had recommended to me by happy customers, even if it was 1/4 of the price. I don't mean this to sound rude but that is an absolutely ridiculous idea! If you are willing to pay any considerable price to have a procedure done to "correct" a feature that you aren't happy with then what might you end up having to pay to "correct" a cock up done by someone who isn't good at their job? I'm inclined to think the same about Botox personally.

There are some things you can afford to go cheap on via Groupon but I wouldn't put any kind of corrective surgical procedure into that category.

I dont' think you can go terribly wrong with Botox for your forehead line at £89. The worst case scenario is that he dilutes it a lot and it doesn't last that long but for £89 if you get 6 weeks or so, why not, if you are happy with it. He is unlikely to do you any damage for a horizontal forehead line, in that its not close to the brow area where caution has to be exercised in order to avoid brow droop or ptosis therefore you could justify having that but perhaps cancel the tattoo. If you could get a reasonable referral or genuine review that would be one thing but with no info, I think the best case scenario is that it is a new practitioner who is "starting up" and therefore you possibly might find you need someone more experienced for something that may last more than a year.

The thing about receding lips is something that would happen over a decade or more so can imagine it doesn't apply in this instance as it is semi permenant.

Hi, I've been to this company 'Andrew Carr Aesthetics" two weeks ago thanks to a Groupon voucher. It would say £89 for 1ml dermal filler but when I went the practitioner convinced me that it wouldn't do any good for me so I had to do botox instead, means I spent £90 more to top-up because my voucher worth £170 and he said botox is around £220 with £25 more for each area. I've done forehead and the eyebrows lines.

I had '50 units' of botox (this is how they do the mesurements for this powder mixed with water something) and the results are ok but not great. He used the product on my forehead wrinkles but only half of them have been improved so I regret my £90. He said if I wasn't using the dermal filler product I would have had bumps on my forehead because of the way my wrinkles are. Anyway I think when you directly pay the full price the doctors take better care of you.

gossmakeupartist on youtube suggests putting lipstick straight across the bow in your lips to 'plump' them a bit, I use a maxfactor felt tip pen type lipi and the advice really works. Don't know how I didn't ever discover this for myself. Also a bit of highlighter just above your lips give a bit of pout.

I once saw an older lady with a tattoo line below her eye, but, unfortunately it was well below, so there was the rim of her eye, then row of lash roots, then the blue tattoo line, really looked strange. Whether it looked good when she was younger I don't know.

Welcome to mumsnet, muttondressed. Very interesting first post.

Stop spamming the boards and get back to work at the Botox clinic. Reported. Again.

I stupidly used groupon for semi permanent make up. Please don't make the same mistake I did I paid £89 for the voucher which give me the 1st procedure it would then cost an additional £100 for the top up 4 weeks later which she later reduced to £50 per top up for existing clients. I went to Rodney street in Liverpool which I stupidly assumed must be good as it's on Rodney street! How wrong was I!! 1st session the needle machine broke so I had a sort of 1 half done eyebrow and the other was bare so she had to just ink the shape on my skin so they could be the same while she got the machine fixed. She was adamant this had never happened before which she later admitted that it happens all the time!! Anyways I had to wait over 2 weeks to finally get her availability to do the 1st procedure again she then offered to do my top up for free which was fair enough mistakes happen you can't predict a machine breaking. However, the coming sessions which have been at least 5 or 6 at £50 a session have just gotten worse and worse every time, I am there for hours, the ink won't take to my skin, each time she does them I'm left with more uneven brows plus she ended up using a black ink which has now left one dark grey ish brow and one light grey ish brow one is very long and rounded while the other is very short and pointy I now have to spend hours each day trying to pencil over the tattoos and try to make them as even as I can this has resulted in my confidence and self esteem plummeting I am now borderline depressed I have a 2 and a 3 year old who know we can't go anywhere till mummy's ready which breaks my heart. Out of desperation I used a bargain groupon which has cost me so much more than money alone I trusted the technician and she would taunt that I needed counselling over my eyebrows but everyone else could see how uneven they were she has even sent me joke video of someone jokingly trying to perfect their eyebrows she's tattooed my brows while taking prescribed diet pills but not telling me till after she had done them telling me she feels scatty and shaky off them! The horror story is never ending I couldn't find any reviews on this particular salon but still went ahead with it trusting the technician when she said how many happy clients she has! I am also about to have cbt to try and manage my life around the distress I suffer because of these monstrositys

To anyone looking for a review regarding Andrew Carr skin clinic.
AVOID ... PLEASE!!! MUST READ...
dirty needles old product awful experience
I almost never write bad reviews but I feel I have to inform anyone even thinking to go to this place. I know they have cheap deals via groupon etc but PLEASE DON'T! !
I went today, after purchasing 1ml uma jeunesse treatment. I was surprised there were two ladies before me and i only waited on average 15 minutes (I thought there must have been more than one practitioner) I sat and explained I had tried juvederm and restalyne, none seemed to have a lasting effect, that's why I was so excited to try. The practitioner (who I won't name incase I decide to take further) seemed in a hurry and in all honestly seemed disinterested. I layer down and she came from behind (similar to how a dentist would) and jabbed the needle in my lip. I thought this was strange but felt awkward to stop her as she had already began. She squirmed a few pumps on the left right and bottom lip then asked me to look in the mirror. 10 SECONDS FLAT. I wasn't handed a mirror or spoken through anything. I then realised I hadn't seen the packaging or the needle!! I asked what product was used and she replied "we use 3 different dermal fillers' I asked again, hesitantly she said restalyne. I was SHOCKED she had switched the product without telling me. I asked to see the product and was handed a beaten up empty box of restalyne that she had HIDING under a box of tissues!!! I demanded to see the needle used WHICH SHE HADN'T DISPOSED OF it was still lying on the table 1/4 full. I asked why it still had product in. I couldn't see any selafane or plastic wrapping for the needle. I felt SICK this needle had been used on some one and on top of that I don't even know if it was restalyne or stale product. I questioned her and I RECORDED the whole conversation on my phone which she is unaware of. She just kepr apologising for doing this and gave me a full refund (cash) on the spot and a free appointment with Andrew carr. She was shaking and seemed very nervouse I took my money and declined the appointment. This place is DISGUSTING, in no way would a practitioner give a refund after a treatment if they were sure they did everything according to the books. I can't state enough how dangerous this is.. I am furious PLEASE DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE

Thank you so very much sophina89. I was about to buy the deal on Wowcher but decided to do some research first. Am horrified by your awful experience. Have you reported them to Groupon yet? I don't mean to tell you what you should or shouldn't do, but I do believe you would be doing so many people a huge favour, as you've done for me now. I just hope you'll be OK. I dread to think what this used needle could be harbouring. Really sorry for you. I would go and have a blood test right away.

Omg I had my lips done by Andrew Carr a year and a half ago and I've still got lumps and bumps! My lips are a mess now! Never go to him please just pay more and see a nurse xx