PR / UNPAID AD - Tackling That Tache - Facial Hair Removal By Jolen*

I can pretty much guarantee that this won't be the prettiest blog post on your feed today, and I can also guarantee that it probably won't be at the top of your mental to read list, but life and beauty isn't all about pretty pictures and beautiful insta worthy products.

Ever since puberty kicked in with a growth spurt something else started to grow as well, and no even though they did indeed grow, I don't mean my boobs, I actually mean my hair, and sadly not the hair on m head!

As my grandma used to say, and my mam continues to say, you can't have hair on your head and not have it anywhere else! Body hair was never really too much of a problem for me, I just shaved it, creamed it, waxed it, or epilated it away, but my facial hair was a whole different gravy!

From the minute it started to grow it was dark and thick, and it was really obvious against my pale skin. The first thing that I ever tried was facial bleach and whilst it helped to disguise the hairs, it didn't get rid of them, so I moved to other things trying everything from tweezing, to various forms of electronic removal methods, to facial and body hair removal creams, and even epilating before finally settling on regular waxing treatments, which at last seemed to the get the little wires under control, at least in the short term!

As I've said before I'm pretty happy with the products that I've been using, but I was recently given the chance to try a couple of products from facial hair specialist, Jolen.

Like so many others my very first foray into facial hair management was with Jolen's famous Creme Bleach. With over 150 years of experience in helping people deal with their facial hair, it wasn't really that surprising that my mam who had already been using the product for years, bought me my first pot, and with those two little pots, my facial hair journey had officially begun!

As I say as time progressed I gradually moved onto other methods, and whilst Jolen have remained true to their Creme Bleach roots, they've moved on to, and have expanded their facial hair range to include two new products, a Facial Hair Remover Kit, and Face Wax Strips, and I was very kindly sent out a few packets to try,

Jolen Facial Hair Remover Kit*

Perhaps on the of the most popular methods for removing excess hair, hair removal creams are pretty simple to use, they can be a bit messy and smelly, but you just pop the cream on, leave it on for a few minutes, then you rinse it off, and voila hair be gone! 

Obviously you should always patch test any product that you use, but it goes without saying that the skin on the face can be a little bit more sensitive, and that can be one of the reasons that people often shy away from facial hair removal creams. If you've been a bit wary of creams in the past though Jolen have included something that might change your opinion, and ally some of your fears.

As well as full instructions the box contains a 19g tube of hair removal cream, and a 1.9g stick of Skin Guarding Balm, which contains beeswax, apricot kernel oil, aloe vera, cucumber extract, chamomile flower extract, safflower oil, and coconut oil, and is designed to be used before and after hair removal, to both protect, and nourish the skin.

Starting off with clean, dry skin, you apply a thin layer of Skin Guarding Balm to the areas that you are going to treat, before massaging it into the skin in circular motions, for around 20 seconds. It comes in a twist up style bullet so it's really easy to apply it has a balm like texture, and little to no scent, and it almost seemed to melt on contact with the skin.

After you've applied the Skin Guarding Balm, it's then time to apply the hair removal cream itself. The angled tip of the tube made it really easy to apply without a spatula, but you could of course use a spatula or even your fingers to apply an even layer of cream

Before 

On Application - Skin Guarding Balm

The white cream was of a good thickness so it didn't slip or drip. Unusually for hair removal cream it had quite a pleasant scent with only a small hint of ammonia. It initially felt quite cool on the skin but as time progressed the area did feel a little bit warmer, but there was no burning, tingling or stinging.

On Application - Hair Removal Cream

The instructions advise to leave it for between 5 and 8 minutes. I checked it by removing a little bit after 5 minutes but the hairs were still holding firm, so I ended up leaving it for the full 8 minutes. I actually used a spatula to remove the excess before washing the rest off with a muslin cloth and lukewarm water, before applying a little bit more Skin Guarding Balm.

After 

I'm going to be honest with you, I gave up using facial hair removal creams quite a while ago now. My upper lip hair especially was just too thick and dark to remove it effectively, so much so in fact that I actively switched to using body hair removal creams on my face (I know! I know!), and I only switched to waxing because I was having to leave it for longer and longer, and my skin was starting to get irritated.

It wasn't therefore too much of a surprise that there was a few hairs and a little bit of stubble remaining. To give this cream its due though it did remove quite a bit of all be it, quite long hair, which you can hopefully see below.

So if you want a completely hair free, smooth upper lip, and you have dark, wiry hair like mine, this particular product probably isn't for you, but if you have had a bad experience with facial hair removal creams in the past, particularly with regard to sensitivity, and you have lighter, or finer har growth, then this product could be something worth trying. I don't know whether it was down to the Skin Guarding Balm, but my upper lip area didn't feel dry or uncomfortable, and as I say I didn't experience any burning or stinging.

I did have a little play with this product though and I tried the hair removal on its own, without using the Skin Guarding Balm, and I actually managed to remove more hair and I ended up with a smoother finish. My skin did feel a touch more sensitive and tingly, but if your skin is stronger and your hair is thicker or darker then maybe skipping the first application of Skin Guarding Balm could be something to try.

The Jolen Facial Hair Remover retails at around £4.99 from Boots.

Hair removal is always a personal thing, and what works for one person, won't necessarily work for another, and so on, so for me it's always worth giving things a try. If you're still not convinced by hair removal creams, and if like me you're a waxer, don't fret, Jolen also do Facial Wax Strips.

Jolen Facial Wax Strips*

There is so much that I love about waxing, that every time I whip those hairs away I always wonder why I didn't start waxing my tache sooner! The finish is smoother, and compared to around a weeks smoothness with hair removal creams, even with my wires I can still get 3 or 4 weeks of smoothness.

The box contains an instruction leaflet and a total of 16 wax strips, which contain smoothing and nourishing chamomile and grape seed oil, and are dermatologically tested, and are suitable for even the most sensitive of skins.

Like with most wax strips, each strip is stuck to another one, so it initially appears as though you only get 8 strips in the box, and your first task is to slowly separate them out. The key thing with wax strips for me is to try and keep them in a warm place, because if they are too cold, it can be quite hard to separate them evenly.

I took the picture below after a period of illness, where I never left the house, so there is about 6 weeks worth of growth here, and hairs as you can see are pretty long and thick!

Before

All you do is apply one strip at a time to the area that you want to treat, rubbing it in the direction of the hair growth before taking a deep breath, holding the skin taut, and pulling the strip in the opposite direction to the hair growth, and then you repeat, repeat and repeat until you're done!

On Application

The strips themselves were nice and sticky and they adhered really well to the hairs and the skin, removing even the roots of the majority of hairs, and leaving very little wax residue in the process.

After I'd waxed my entire upper lip and chin, I washed my face with a tiny bit of tea tree wash, and some water to remove any excess wax, before dabbing the area with very cold water to close the pores and calm the skin.

After 

There are a couple of blood spots but that's not unusual for me and it was hardly surprising when you look at just how much hair I actually removed! My skin felt a touch tender which again is pretty normal for me but as a seasoned self waxer this was a quick and pretty painless experience.

I was so, so impressed with these strips, my upper lip was left feeling really smooth and with no obvious stubble, and they were also really easy to use. There was hardly any excess wax left on my skin and they remove even the longest hairs and even the roots, and as you can see below, from another session they also removed really really short hairs as well.

It might take a bit of practise to get your angles right, and at first you might need a little bit of Dutch courage to pull of that first strip, but there really is no need to go to a salon when it's so cheap and easy to wax your own chin and upper lip with these strips in the comfort of your own home.

I'm officially a convert to these babies and I've already stocked up on another 4 packets to take me through to the summer and beyond! The Jolen Face Wax strips come in a pack of 16 and are available for £1 from Savers, and for a little bit more from other retailers including Ocado and Express Chemists.

As I say this won't be the prettiest post that you'll ever read but it will probably be one of the most real. If you're happy with your facial hair all props to you, but if like me and you just want it gone, there are lots of products and methods out there for you try, including these two products from Jolen. If you have any questions or comments then please let me know x 

*Press Samples

Hair Removal Series - Part 1 - How Laser Hair Removal Works

With the party season now on the horizon, it's time to start getting ourselves party ready. It's time to pick up that fabulous outfit, and book that hair appointment and for most of us it's time to start removing that pesky excess hair. Hair removal isn't the most glamorous of topics, but it's something that an awful lot of us do and it can make a real difference to our self confidence and to our self image. I've talked about hair removal a few times on the blog and in the run up to Christmas I'm going to be talking about some more of the most popular temporary hair removal methods and products on the market. Today though I'm going to start of by talking about a more permanent hair removal method, Laser Hair Removal.

How Laser Hair Removal Works

We've all done hair removal at home, Wax strips or razors or plucking individual hairs with a pair of tweezers! Still, the hairs grow back and we are right back where we started from. It doesn't matter what method we try, the hairs always grow back. That's where laser hair removal comes in; Performed in a clinic, professional laser hair removal lasts far longer, and with repeated treatments, may even be permanent.

At Home Hair Removal

Removing hair at home means that the hair grows back fairly quickly. Razors don't work very well because the blades remove hair just above the surface of the skin, so there's stubble the very next day. Using hot wax can easily burn the skin, if you're not careful, and cold wax strips wind up being pretty expensive to remove hair in larger areas like the legs. Using tweezers to pluck individual hairs hurts, and has to be repeated over and over again, and depilatories and creams use chemicals to break down the hairs, but those chemicals can also cause allergic reactions and burn the skin.

Why Don't At Home Methods Work?

When you remove hair at home, your either cutting the hair follicles or yanking them from the skin. It does nothing to destroy the root, so the hair continues to grow. Even hair removal creams just break the follicles by breaking down the proteins within the hair,  and whilst it means that hair can be just wiped away, it does nothing to prevent the hair from growing back in the long term.

Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

The great thing about professional laser hair removal is that the hair doesn't grow back for a long time and what hair that does grow back comes in finer than before. It can take as little as three to as many as seven sessions to make it permanent. After that you may need to return once in a while to catch any hairs that do grow back.

How Hair Removal Lasers Function

Hair removal lasers use brief bursts of light energy to target the hair follicles. They heat the follicles until the root is destroyed. In order to stop further growth, you must catch the root in the right stage of development. If you want to make the removal permanent, it will take several more sessions to catch all of the hairs. Even if you just have a one off session the hair shouldn't grow back for quite a while, and when it does it will be finer than it was before.

How Much Will It Cost? 

Cost is determined by several different factors. The size of the area being treated determines how much time it will take to treat. For instance the legs are a large area and will take far longer to treat, than say the face. The more time that it takes, the more it will cost. How many sessions you need will also affect the cost. A one off session to get beach or party ready obviously won't cost as much as the several sessions that you would need to attain permanent hair removal. There is also the matter of who is carrying out the laser treatment (be is a technician, a therapist or a licensed physician), and of course where you're located can also affect the price.

What Parts Of The Body Can Be Treated?

Laser hair removal can be used on all parts of the body, from the legs to the bikini line, and the upper lip. The technician or therapist can adjust the laser settings to safely remove hair from both tougher skin and from more delicate areas.

There is no doubt that laser hair removal can be expensive but if excess hair is a problem then it could be a price worth paying. It's definitely something that I would consider trying in the future so if you've tried laser hair removal let me know your thoughts below x 

*Guest Post 

Hair Removal For Scaredy Cats - Nair Argan Oil Shower Power Cream*

Although the weather over the last few days feels more like January than July, it is officially summer time. It hasn't all been bad though, we have had some nice days, and hopefully there are some more to come, and whether your staying at home in the UK or your lucky enough to be heading off for some guaranteed sunshine, you can pretty much guarantee that most of us will at some point be revealing a little bit more skin than normal.

Like most things, whether or not you remove your body hair has now become a big issue, and whilst I'm very much in favour of people doing what they want to do with their own bodies, personally I'm not a fan. In the winter I must admit that I'm a bit lazy but in the summer I want smooth and silky skin, so off it comes.

Of all the steps in my beauty routine hair removal is probably the biggest chore of all time. It takes forever but thankfully times are changing and modern hair removal methods are quicker and easier than ever. Whilst I swear by waxing and epilation for my legs, I do have a bit of a soft spot for hair removal creams when it comes to my more sensitive bits.

Okay using a hair removal cream doesn't offer any long term solutions, and yes they can be a bit smelly and a bit messy but they're ideal for sensitive areas, and for people who just don't like the idea of pain.

If you haven't used a depilatory cream for a while, maybe it's time to give them another try. Modern day hair removal creams are a world away from the smelly, eye watering, drying products from yesteryear.

Nair are one of the best known names around when it comes to home hair removal, and their range includes everything from wax strips, to shaving products and of course depilatory creams. They recently launched their Argan Oil Collection which is a range of products which harness the powerful skin care benefit of this cult Moroccan oil.

I was sent a few of the products to try and the first one that I tried is the Nair Argan Oil Shower Power Cream. Formulated for the legs, bikini line, and underarms, it contains extracts of Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, Cocoa Butter and Orange Blossom. It also contain an exclusive patented "odour control technology" to cut down on the nasty smells that we normal associate with hair removal creams. It's designed for dry and sensitive skin and it's both clinically and dermatologically tested.

The 200ml tube is boxed and comes complete with full instructions and a plastic spatula. The cream itself is slightly, off white in colour and has a thick creamy texture. It has a subtle almost face cream type aroma with virtually no hint of the familiar rotten egg smell that you traditionally associate with products like this.

It's recommend that you do a small patch test 24 hours before you use the cream just to make sure that it doesn't cause any allergies or irritation. My patch test was fine so I decided to try it out on my legs. Whilst the hair on my legs is dark, thanks to years of waxing and epiliation, it's quite fine and I do actually have a few bald patches, this though is probably a couple of months growth (blushes).

The cream is quite simple to use, you just spread an even layer of cream over the areas that you want to treat, avoiding any broken, sunburned or inflamed skin.

You can either use your fingers, or for larger areas it's much easier to use the spatula, as it makes it easier to achieve an even layer. Although it's quite a thick cream it does still drip a little bit so I would either do it in the bath or shower cubicle or I would cover the floor with an old towel.

Then you just leave it for a few minutes, after that what you can do is actually get into the shower, hence the name shower power, and you can have a shower as normal providing you don't direct the shower head at the area your treating, Then after 3 minutes use the spatula to remove a little bit of the cream, and then you can either wash the cream away or do what I did, I actually preferred to gently remove the cream with the spatula. The shape of the spatula means that it fits the contours of your
body perfectly and it also helps to remove the final stubborn hairs. Then you just finish your shower and you're left with hair free skin. I would recommend you give the shower or bath a good rinse when you're done though, as well as all of those nasty hairs, the cream itself can leave it a bit slippery under foot.

My legs were left a tiny little bit pink after I'd removed the cream but that could have been down to the heat of the shower. They felt smooth and almost as though I'd used a body lotion. There was no dryness and no irritation whatsoever. Nair claim that the effects of this cream can last up to 7 days but I think that very much depends on your own hair growth cycle, for me it was about 4 days before I noticed any real regrowth.

This product certainly doesn't offer a long term hair removal solution but unlike a lot of similar products in the past it's much easier to use, it smells nicer, and it leaves the skin feeling soft, smooth and comfortable. I'll definitely use this product again and I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone who doesn't want to shave or use any of the more painful methods, or for treating more sensitive areas such as the bikini line. Nair Argan Oil Shower Power Cream has a RRP of £6.69, and is available from Boots, Superdrug, and Tesco. If you have any questions on this review please let me know x

*Sample

A Little Haul

I popped to my nearest small town with my mum today so she could get her passport photos taken - £5 it costs now eek. I had a few parcels to post today so I went with her and managed to pick up a few goodies whilst I was there. I've done a video for You Tube but I thought I'd show you here as well :) As well as a few bits for gift and swaps I got some bits from Boots, and Superdrug. First of all I got some Veet In Shower Hair Remover Cream - I really like this for when I can't be bothered to wax, it's so simple and takes less than 5 minutes. I also picked some more Botanics eye make up remover, and some of the orginal formula Damask Rose Skin Tonic, some Flight Ear Plugs, and some Gold Shimmer Batiste :)

I also got a Hello Kitty Superstar pack from my local newsagents - yes I know a bit juvenile but so cute you get a little trinket box keyring / phone charm, a little paperclip, some mini stickers, and some large stickers :)
I also went to the Factory Bargain Shop - I love this shop it has bits of everything it - they actually had some nice summery clothes :) I got this skirt from a brand called Kushi - it a lovely pale blue crinkled cotton, with pale blue sequins on the pleats. I think it would be good for day or evening so it definitely going in my suitcase


I also picked up another pair of jersey harems this time in Navy, I already have a couple of black pairs and some charcoal ones coming from New Look I love these for this times of year they are soooo comfy

So that's more spends down the drain, whoops a diddle never mind it's nearly August I can start again lol