My IPL Hair Reduction Experience

Hi dolls,

I hope you are all well. 

Today I wanted to share my IPL hair reduction experience with you all as I know it is a popular topic and lets face it we all want to be free of facial and body hair. I have wanted to carry out laser hair removal for as long as I can remember ever since I introduced myself to a razor and wax strips. The idea of having permanent hair reduction sounded like a dream away from the nicks, burns and redness from waxing and shaving.I knew it wouldn't come cheap and would need regular top ups. 

Upon my long and tiring search I stumbled across Clear Skin Leicester who was qualified and offered the service. I didn't hesitate to book in a consultation and a patch test right away as I was definitely certain this was something I had wanted to do for a long time. 

So what is laser hair removal? *Laser hair removal is a great method for removing unwanted body and facial hair without the burns, nicks, and redness of shaving and waxing. Laser hair removal is technically known as a permanent hair reduction process, and although it’s not total hair removal, it does drastically decrease hair growth and the need for shaving. The process is safe for use on most parts of the body, including the legs, arms and armpits, bikini area, chest, back, and even the face (except for the eyes). 

At my patch test, Clean Skin Leicester explained the uses of the laser machine, how it worked, how many sessions I would need, what it would involve and any other important health related issues. It was all very professional and thorough and I made sure I asked all the relevant questions that I needed clarification on. Upon doing a patch test on my arm, Clear Skin Leicester wanted to know how my skin would react to the laser machine and whether it would cause any redness or irritation. I was asked to keep any eye on the area over the next 24 hours and report any changes to my skin. Thankfully there wasn't any. 

Before I knew it, it was onto to treatment day one. I was a little apprehensive as to how the treatment would feel on my face. I was told to close shave my face the night before. Yes it initially sounded bizarre but in actual fact it is a crucial part of the process as the laser targets hair in the active growing stage and shaving encourages hair to enter this stage. The laser works by targeting and breaking down the melanin, (the pigment that gives hair their colour) in a hair follicle that makes it fall out and works best on coarse dark hair.

Each session itself does not take very long and typically lasts around 15 minutes. A cooling gel is applied onto the skin prior to using the laser machine, safety glasses to protect the eyes from the bright light of the laser. The actual treatment itself is not painful at all, if anything it feels like a tight elastic band snapping on your skin. The heat is also very comfortable to bear yet I did often struggle with the upper lip area as the skin is so delicate and close to the nose there. After each session, it is advisable to stay away from any direct sunlight and use Aloe Vera Gel on the areas treated to minimise any irritation and redness. I use a generic one from Holland and Barrett. 

All in all, I have had a total of four sessions on my face and I have noticed a HUGE difference, the hair that I would usually have to wax on my face every few weeks has reduced dramatically and not grown back since.My skin also feels fresh and rejuvenated too and family members have also noticed and paid their compliments! I have since then started a session for my underarms and with just 3 sessions, I have already had an 80% hair reduction! 

Here are a few pictures from my laser session. (Please note, the laser machine was not on at the time of taking the pictures. Please bear the horrible make-up free face! )

 The dos' 

• Do consult with your GP or a medical professional if you are looking to carry out the IPL treatment, particularly if you suffer from any POS, diabetes or hormonal problems. 
• Do make sure you have a patch test and full consultation to find out more about what the treatment can do for you, any concerns, how many sessions will be required as remember each skin and individual is different. Do know what to expect. 
• Do make sure the night before each treatment you dry shave areas of the face/body that are going to be treated on as this will make the laser session more effective. 
• Do make sure you are having the right laser for your skin colour. 

And onto the dont's:

• Do not skip sessions as this will delay the progress. It is important that you carry out the treatment around the same time each month. This is what I have been doing and it has really helped me track my progress over the course of treatments.
• Do not apply make-up, deodorant, lotions and tanning products prior to the day of the treatment. Also remove any metal or pieces of jewellery that may interact with the laser machine.
• Do not expect to see results right away, it all depends on your skin, hair growth and to see any results will require a few sessions and patience. 

Clear Skin Leicester are based inside of Strands Hairdressers on Uppingham Road in Leicester, be sure to check them out on Facebook here. Prices start from as little as £49 for six sessions** on small areas. I suggest booking in a for a consultation and patch test and I highly recommend them for the service, you will not be disappointed. 

If you decide to book in a consultation and session do make sure you quote HINNAHS BEAUTY BITES to get that extra VIP treatment.

Love and Lipstick 

xxx

*Source_http://www.wikihow.com/Get-the-Most-Benefit-from-Laser-Hair-Removal

Review: Smile Bright Atlanta At Home Instant Teeth Whitening Kit.

Hi lovelies,

Yes, I am back with yet another blog post, I have a huge list of things to blog about (and it keeps growing!) and well I did promise myself that I would blog more so I am just going to keep these posts coming as and when I can. 

Now lets be honest, we all want a whiter, brighter smile at home with professional salon results without the professional salon price tag, correct? 

Years of drinking coffee on a daily sometimes thrice daily basis and being a fan of the fizzy drinks have left my poor teeth stained, discoloured and in need of a good old proper clean. Of course, I had looked around in a bid to make them five shades whiter and brighter but some did not quite have the glorious reviews I searched for and most were going to do some serious damage to my bank balance. 

After doing my usual hunting around on Instagram, I came across SmileBright_Atlanta, a US based company that established in 2009 selling the home teeth whitening systems and products. With a large following and real results from real people I decided to get in touch. Before I know it, I had a little kit sent to my home address. I received the At Home Instant Teeth Whitening Kit with LED lighting system. I did watch a few Youtube Tutorials to get to grips on using the product and of course, there was nothing but positive results upon the YouTube beauty bloggers community alike. 

The kit I received contained a 10ml professional whitening gel, a plastic upper and lower mouthpiece, a LED lightening system, a shade guide all in a clear plastic zip pencil case. It is all compact, waterproof and travel friendly. 

So, how does the treatment work? Well on their official site the product works as follows: 

When peroxide comes in contact with light it starts to break down, this is why peroxide is sold in a dark container in the stores.  We physically have you put an LED light to the gel to force it to break down at a faster pace.  What this does is force the gel to go into what is called an oxidation process.  While this is happening (the gel breaking down) it is going to start breaking down the stains on the surface of your teeth.  Luckily this is not powerful enough to break down the enamel on your teeth, so it is completely safe on your teeth, tongue, and gums.

Source: Smile Bright Atlanta

They recommend doing two 30 minutes treatments back to back to get full results and remove at least 1-3 years of stains off your teeth. I decided to use this whilst getting ready to go out and whilst doing the ironing to take my mind off the time. 

It is really simple to use which is the first thing I liked about it, there are no fiddly bits and it is quite self explanatory. To test it out, I initially did just the one 30 minute treatment but then decided a few days later to do the full 60 minutes. Oh-em gee the results are amazing! with just one session I noticed my teeth were at least two shades lighter! It is so easy to use and results can be seen instantly. If you have a big day coming up or an event then this is the perfect little secret treatment to keep those teeth white and bright. 

Now please bear in mind we all are different so what works for me may not necessarily work in the same way for you, but I guess you will not really know until you try it yourself. 

The thing I was most concerned about was whether I would get sensitivity after as I had experienced this with other whitening strips and paste, yet no sensitivity at all, in fact you can eat and drink almost instantly after but I would say avoid the foods that are likely to stain  the teeth such as beetroot, berries, coffee, wine and so on. 

The whitening gel does mix with your saliva a lot and this is absolutely normal, in fact its a good thing as it means the product can be spread everywhere evenly such as the back of the teeth, etc but I did find the saliva build up to be a bit much and I often did have to spit a bit out over the hours treatment. Also, do not be concerned if you swallow a little bit of the gel, (I did on my first day using it and panicked! but Smile Bright Atlanta confirmed that it is not harmful but will taste a little foamy that is all. 

This product retails for $99.00 (Which is roughly £69) but Smile Bright Atlanta have been fantastic in giving me a coupon code to give to my readers at a bargain price of $25 which is a steal at just over £17! This kit can be purchased directly from their site here but BE SURE to put in my coupon code sbright14 at checkout to get the discounted price! 

Be sure to give their Instagram page @smilebright_atlanta a follow too! 

Have you given this a go yet?

Love and Lipstick

xxx

**Disclaimer: I was sent this product to review and the sbright14 code contains an affiliates code. Please note, I was not paid for this review. 

EX1 COSMETICS INVISIWEAR LIQUID FOUNDATION (30ML)- Review

Hello my angels,

I hope you are all doing well.

Today I will be reviewing the popular EX1 Cosmetics Invisiwear Liquid Foundation.  It has been at least 2 weeks since I received the product and have been using it every day since hence deciding to do a review on it. Firstly, lets get down to a bit of background and all that good stuff. 

The EX1 Cosmetics range was developed by biochemist Farah Naz. She recognised a gap in the market for the lack of shades for the Asian and Olive skin tones and thus after much frustration decided to embark on 2 years worth of research to design a foundation that matched her skin tone perfectly, 

So what is it? Well on their official site, the foundation is described as "A lightweight and luminous liquid base, formulated with light diffusers which unify skin tone and cover imperfections effortlessly. Specially designed ‘true colour’ pigments work perfectly with your skins’ natural tones in an ultra-blendable formula.

The result? The perfect Invisiwear effect.

• Clinically and Dermatologically tested
• 100% Oil and Fragrance free
• Non Comedogenic

After seeing the product pop up quite a bit with other beauty bloggers, makeup artists and makeup fanatics alike I decided to purchase my very own bottle. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, based on the information and shade selection chart available on all the sites where the product can be purchased from, the shade for my skin and the shade I decided to purchase was F300 seeing as I am between NC-35-NC40 in Mac. 

Lets move on to the packaging-  The foundation comes in a clear plastic pump bottle with a copper coloured lid, its simple yet elegant and does not look cheap. It is lightweight and travel friendly which is always a winner for me, you can take it travelling without having to worry about any spillages or breakages. Again the pump feature is highly appealing too, you can dispense the amount you like and with the bottle being transparent, you can see how much of the product you have remaining. I have come across a few reviews stating that the pump has a mind of its own and sometimes the product can squirt everywhere, but thankfully, I have not experienced this yet. 

Product-  The 30ml foundation in itself is quite lightweight in texture and I really like that about it. It does not feel heavy on the skin and is perfect for daily use. I used this both without primer and with and it worked just as well either way. I feel you only need a little and a little does go a long way. Upon application, after blotting lightly with my real techniques buffer brush it instantly became invisible as per its name. The coverage is light to medium and can be built up as per your preference, I personally feel I need two layers enough for a 8 hour day at work and it really does blend in well with a semi matte finish with a hint of dewiness. 

The foundation is available in five shades ranging from F100- F500 with the F100 being the palest. Yes the colour range is not large and I do not think it would not suit very pale or very deep skin tones. Also, the colours are mainly based with a yellow undertone so if you have pale and pink undertones in your complexion this may not be the one for you.

Source: EX1 Cosmetics

Results? Once set with powder this foundation lasts pretty much till late in the evening, I rarely need to touch it up throughout the day and it does not cling onto dry patches or cake either which I was really amazed about. It feels very light on the skin and does not dry out my skin like the Mac Select Liquid foundation did. If I am honest whilst I really like the foundation, I do find that the F300 is a tad dark for me which I am really gutted about. Also, do not fully go by the shade selection chart on their site as I do not find it is very accurate. F200 would have definitely suited my skin tone better as I would like just a little lighter shade but will definitely be using The Body Shops Shade Adjusting Drops to lighten it a little. The shade F300 would work better for me alone in the summer days where my skin would tan a little. 

Price?  The foundation retails for around £12.50 which is quite reasonable compared to some of the higher end stuff out there and do not worry about getting your hands on this, it is widely available pretty much on most sites and even in Topshop stores in London. I purchased mine from Beauty Expert with a 20% coupon code so got the foundation for a bargain tenner including free delivery! 

Conclusion- All in all this is a great foundation whether you are a newbie, make-up junkie or makeup artist, the shade range would definitely cater for the Asian/olive skin tones. It is reasonably priced, available almost everywhere and it feels great on the skin without feeling cakey or drying it out. I will definitely be restocking this and adding a few to my makeup kits for clients. I will however definitely purchase the shade F200 in the hope that it would be a better suited shade for my skin tone.

Have you given the EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation a go yet?

Love and Lipstick

xxx