Guest Blog: How Permanent Hair Removal Works

Hello lovelies,

So a few weeks ago the lovely Maria who blogs for http://www.hairremoval.org/ got in touch to ask if I'd be interested in featuring a guest post on here - and of course, I would! Hair Removal is a subject I sort of know a few things about, but am terrified of the idea of epilating or having my bikini line waxed.. (I hate pain), so I was really excited to read Marias advice and her post.. So here it is, enjoy! And thankyou Maria! Be sure to check out her sight too, it's so informative and helpful!

How Permanent Hair Removal Works

While there are many different hair removal methods and products available today like razors, creams, wax, lotions and sprays, most of their results don’t last very long. Daily or even weekly hair removal can become quite a hassle, so it is no wonder that more permanent hair removal options such as laser hair removal, electrolysis and IPL (intense pulsed light) have been popular for many years,. All three of these methods have their pros and cons and knowing them is essential for anyone considering a prolonged reduction form of hair removal.

Laser hair removal, IPL and electrolysis are efficient in the removal of unwanted hair, and can lead to a permanent reduction or sometimes permanent removal. While no one can guarantee that hairs will never grow back, what these methods have in common is that with repeated treatments hairs should disappear and then not re-appear for a long time. While it is hard to predict how long hairs will stay away, it can easily be many months or even years which can be the much needed relief for anyone who is tired of the constant battle against excess hair.

Laser hair removal and IPL are very similar, while electrolysis is a completely different technology. Both laser hair removal and IPL depend on a high degree of heat being generated while in operation, and as the device is placed on the skin, the hairs will absorb the heat energy and get damaged as a result. The biggest difference between laser hair removal and IPL is that laser hair removal uses a real laser, while IPL is a light based device, but other than that, the two methods are highly comparable. Electrolysis on the other hand works by delivering electricity through a fine probe that is inserted into the hair follicle. Hairs must be treated one by one which explains why the method is slow and unpractical for areas other than the face.

What all three permanent hair removal methods have in common is that several treatments are needed to ensure satisfactory results. The exact number of treatments needed is difficult to predict in advance, but during the initial consultation the laser hair removal practitioner should be able to give an estimate. The practitioner can also give an estimate regarding the total cost, but the price will definitely be influenced by the size of the area that needs treatment, the amount of hair, and the coarseness of it. When it comes to pain or discomfort, that all depends too. Some find laser hair removal a breeze, while others find it painful. The discomfort can be managed in different ways: in addition to numbing cream, newer laser machines have built in cooling features that help with the pain. But most individuals who battle against unwanted hairs will agree that a little discomfort in exchange for smooth skin is more than worth it.

Maria Bastet is a hair removal enthusiast that blogs on all matters concerning hair removal. You can find more of her articles located at HairRemoval.org.

Boots & Superdrug Haul :-)

Hello dearies!

Yesterday me and Dan got new phones, yey :-) But I'm so gutted my big crazy pink girly phone case won't fit on my new phone anymore :-( Not sure what to do with it!

Here's the back of my new phone, looking very unpink! It has lovely white leather though! :-) But it's just waiting for my orangey foundation hands to dye it a gross peach :-(

Here's the front, very pretty and posh! :-)

With mine and Dan trading in our phones we got some cashback, which I quickly went and spent the majority of on some goodies I've been after for ages!

I wasn't planning on actually buying any curlers, but the lovely lady at Boots just got me chatting and I ended up buying them! They're just what I'm after though, and for £15.31 I thought they were a bargain :-) Can't wait to have long flowing tumbleing curls! :-) Just got to train Dan to do the back bit for me ;-)

I got lots of things I've been pining for from Superdrug.. so excited for them all! :-)

I use Veet In-Shower Hair Removal Cream, it's amazing, and comes with a little sponge to help you remove the hair. It's so easy to use, and so much quicker/pain free than waxing! I'd really recommend it, although the smell is pretty bad!

I also got some Batiste dry shampoo, I love the Hawaiian scented one, as well as the pink bottled one, so I thought I'd have a go with a different one - the Diva, I'll let you know what I think :-) But in general I love Dry Shampoo so much, it really helps my pink hair too as means I don't have to wash it as much and get all the colour out! I also use dry shampoo to add some volume for flat hair days too :-)

I also got my mitts on the John Freida 3 day straight spray, it was around £5. I just had to buy it, I've heard so so much about it, lots of blogs and magazine articles have been dedicated to it. Apparently, you spray it on your hair after washing, then dry and straighten the product so it's locked into your hair, and then it'll keep your hair sleek and straight for 3 days, let's so how it goes! :-)

I got some baby oil after reading a snipped of Jordan/Katie Prices style book saying she bathes in a bath with loads of baby oil in, and I just love the idea, and reckon it'd benefit my eczema and dry bits amazingly, so that's what'll be in my next bath :-)

I hardly ever use hair products but want to start having a go with some, so I got Schwarkopf's got2b 2 sexy hair mousse - I want to pump it into my roots and curls when I want some great volume and big curls, looking forward to trying that out! :-)

The little radox bottle on the fair left is some jasmine scented hand sanitizer, I use this all the time, and this is perfect handbag size!

I use exfoliating gloves in the shower with Sanex bath and shower gel before fake tanning, but my last pair of white ones were ready for the bin, so I couldn't resist these cute pink ones from Superdrug!

After reading http://evatsx.blogspot.com/ I couldn't wait to try out Superdrugs lip balm in 'Strawberries and cream'! And I love it! It gives a cute baby pink sheen, tastes/smells amazing, and leaves lips really moisturised and nourished.

And the last thing in that picture is that lovely pink lipgloss from the brand 'MUA' in Superdrug, it was only £1 so I couldn't resist getting it to try it out! It'll be perfect to keep in my handbag I reckon :-)

Another purchase from the MUA range which I bought after reading evatsx blogspot was this eyeshadow in Shade 1 - Pearl. It looks so pretty and such a great colour to pop on your inner eye, can't wait to try it out! :-)

From Boots I got Soap and Glorys 'Breakfast Scrub', it was £6 and after smelling it I just couldn't resist buying it! I've been after a really really gentle exfoliater for my face and eczema and I think this looks perfect as it is a paste with ground up oats in rather than beads or sugar or anything too harsh - and my gosh it smells INCREDIBLE. Like honey and oats and oh so sweet buttery goodness. It's worth paying the money for just to smell it! :-) Next time you're in Boots have a sniff, it's beautiful! :-)

I got some more Simple soaps as I've ran out of my last pack, and they're the only things that'll get pesky hair dye off my hands/face/neck/furniture! They just swipe it off so quickly and are super cheap :-) Plus they smell super fresh and clean.

I got some eylure Naturalites eyelashes - these are the 'double' ones so they're super thick and voluminous and give the effect as though you have two pairs of lashes on already. :-) So even though they're £7 they definitely are worth it rather than putting two pairs of £5 ones on. Love em! :-) I also got some £2 vanilla scented body spray - it smells so sweet scrumptious and delicious!

Last but not least I got some more In Shower Hair Removal Cream (a 2 for 1 deal from Superdrug ;-) ) but this one is Aloe Vera scented, some Mitchum deodorant - I LOVE this stuff! Will never use any other deoderant again, the powder fresh scent is my favourite :-) And then a bigger bottle of hand sanitiser for my makeup kit :-)

Don't you find it amazing how all us girlies have our own regimes, our own favourite products, our own fave scents, our little beauty secrets, our own ways of pampering ourselves! I wish I could learn about everyones, I find it so interesting! :-)

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My take on Edie Sedgwick / Twiggy's makeup :-)

Hello beautifuls :-)

In response to the lovely http://essenn91.tumblr.com/ 's request asking me to do a Edie Sedgwick/Twiggy inspired tutorial I've spent an hour this afternoon creating this :-)

I used images like this as my inspiration;

This look is very 60s :-) I was so excited to create it, so here goes...

1. Aargh here is a no makeup pic, eek! (Well with some gross remnants of brows and false eyelashes haha). I moisturised my skin a little with MAC Studio Moisture Fix and then primed my skin with MAC Prep and Prime Skin Base Visage. I also concealed over red bits with Dermapalette concealer in a pale shade, and also went over my lips. The 60s look is all about pale perfect but glowy skin :-)

2. So below is me with liquid highlighter on - I used MeMeMe Beat The Blues Highlighter. I used a lot to create a really sculpted face, and rubbed in with my fingers :-)

3. I used a 50:50 mix of MAC Strobe Cream and Loreal True Match Foundation in N1 to create a pale glowy complexion, and used a MAC 187 brush moistened slightly with MAC Fix+ to buff in the foundation. I then popped a light powdering of Vichy Loose Powder and MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Natural in Light over my skin to slightly decrease any shine.

4. I buffed in some blush with a regular blush brush using a mix of MACs blush in Peachy Keen and Pinch Me. I also used this blush to contour round my forehead a little, and then used the MAC Wonder Woman Limited Edition blush set to contour my nose, chin and jawline. (the shade is just a dark brown with no shimmer in :-) ) and then blend it all in well :-) I also added highlight using the same Wonder Woman palette with a shimmery cream colour that I popped on the top of my cheekbones, done the nose and a little on my temples :-)

5. I also added eyebrows in brown rather than my usual pink! This is to be in keeping with the 60s look, I did them thicker towards my nose and thinned them out towards the end, and also really deepened the colour with a dark brown rather than a wishy washy shade! I first drew the shape with NYX brown pencil in dark brown, then used MAC 'Mystery' Eyeshadow with a 266 brush to slightly soften the look. I actually really like the pink hair and dark brow combination!

:-)

6. In the waterline, to really widen eyes, I lined with an Avon white eyeliner and a little MAC Chromagraphic Eye Pencil in NW15. This is a great way to make your eyes appear huge!

7. Firstly I applied Urban Decays Eyeshadow Primer Potion all over my lid and let it dry a little, then lined heavily on my lower line with Urban Decays 24-7 Glide on Eyeliner Pencil in Zero, and dragged that out further than where my eye naturally ends to really elongate it, and then went in my socket crease with the liner, drew a deep line, and smudged it a little. I then took Urban Decays eyeshadow in 'Perversion' (a matte black) and further smudged in some more black with a pencil brush. I also used a MAC 266 brush with the black eyeshadow to go over the eyeliner to ensure it stayed longer and was waterproof :-)

8. Once I was happy with the blending of the eyeshadow, and had faded it up to my brows using a MAC 266 brush to really blend well, I then added white eyeshadow in the area between my upper lashline and socket crease. I used yaby's white eyeshadow and a flat eyeshadow brush to apply this :-)

9. Ensure there's a gap between the black eyeshadow on your top eye socket, and with the eyeliner on the bottom :-) It really elongates eyes and is totally in keeping with the 60s eye makeup look :-) If you look closely at the below picture at my lower lashline you can see that I extended the white/cream eyeliner a little further than my natural eye to again elongate it even more :-)

Here's some close ups of the eye makeup so hopefully you can see exactly what I did :-)

10. I had false lashes on already, but if you don't I would suggest applying some super thick ones full of volume with DUO Eyelash Adhesive.

11. I used lots of mascara on my bottom lashes - I'm loving MaxFactors 2000 Calorie Mascara :-)

12. I applied MACs lipstick in 'Myth' for a 60s pale nude mouth, and their Cremesheem Lipgloss in 'Boy Bait'.

A super close up of the eye makeup for you :-)

And so here's the final look... complete with huge Edie Sedgwick-esque earrings and a fringe like Twiggys! :-) What do you guys reckon? Hope you like it! :-)

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Wedding Dresses :-)

Hello! :-)

So again, in the spirit of the Royal Wedding, it's got me wondering what I'd like my wedding dress to be like.

Kate's was super timeless, classic and just beautiful. However, despite its incredibleness, I'm not sure if I'd like to inject a little more of my personality into the most anticipated dress of my life! :-)

The dress below is so beautiful. Again another classic dress that is timeless and will always be amazing.

And now onto the more 'out there' dresses. Here's Katie Price / Jordans' wedding dress choice for her wedding to Peter Andre. I really want to hate this haha but I actually love it! It's so tacky that it is just amazing! I love pink so this screams to my pink heart! However I really dislike the head dress! But she does look like a real life Barbie :-)

Perhaps inspired by Jordans wedding dress, comes the Channel 4 programme 'Big Fat Gypsy Wedding', where we see traveller girls getting married, and boy don't they have the most amazing dresses! I love diamante, chunkly, sparkly, tacky stuff so this programme was right up my street! I love their wedding dresses, just not sure I'd wear one on my own wedding day! I'd just love to be able to see one - especially the one that had LED lights in! :-)

I love Gwen Stefani, just think she's an incredible woman with a beautiful voice, bundles of confidence, amazing fashion sense and she is just gorgeous in general! And her wedding dress is definitely not a let down, she's injected some of her personality into the dress and really made it unique. Who wouldn't want a dip dyed pink wedding dress? :-)

I love the detail on the dress below, the roses look just incredible :-) So ornate and pretty.

Look at the length of this train!!! :-)

Has this got you thinking about your wedding day (past or future?) - what are you/did you wear?

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