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October 11, 2017

I've switched blogs!

Although I haven't posted on this blog in a while, I noticed my traffic is still high so thought I'd write a post to explain what's going on. I've decided to post all of my new content to thejessicalife.com, including beauty posts, so that I can keep everything in one place. 

I'm still going to keep this blog up so that my old posts don't disappear from the internet world forever, but if you'd like to keep up to date with what I'm writing, please do head over to thejessicalife.com! I've just posted a brand new skincare sunday post over there.



June 09, 2017

laser hair removal: ten months in

Every six weeks since last August, I've made the journey into the city for my laser hair removal treatments. I happen to live just a fifteen minute drive from the clinic so popping in at lunch or early evening has always been perfectly convenient for me. 

It's worth mentioning that being a brunette with olive toned skin, I've always been cursed with fairly thick and dark body hair. I'm also obsessive when it comes to beauty routines and keeping on top of hair removal, so more than anything I just found it a complete pain to keep up with shaving daily. 



For the past ten months since beginning my course of laser hair removal, I've been shaving once a week instead of once a day. I'm also now free of the joys of shaving rash and ingrown hairs, and have found my skin to feel much smoother now it isn't harassed by a metal razor every day. The best part of all is my underarms look lighter and brighter as there's no roots of thick, dense hair sitting under the skin. 

I'm guessing the most burning question amongst most of you will be on the pain factor. I found my upper lip to hurt at around 7/10 every time, but considering it's all over within a few seconds it's nowhere near unbearable. There's also a certain part of my leg near the bone that had me gritting my teeth every now and then, and the same goes for near the ankles, but all in all it has never put me off from going back. The treatment is based on upping the strength of the laser after each and every appointment, but as the hair gets less dense the pain decreases. I found that the first few treatments were the most painful, and it gradually got easier and easier from there. You also might find that your skin reacts into developing nettle sting like bumps but they'll disappear within an hour or two. The ladies are all super careful at monitoring your skin reactions and progress, so at no point did I ever feel concerned or confused by minor bruising or red patches etc. 


With my summer holiday to Croatia fast approaching, I couldn't possibly be any more thrilled with the results. If I had known just how good everything would turn out, I would have happily started saving up for the treatment years ago as I think it's a really sensible investment. I'll never be back to shaving at the same rate again which is a dream come true. That's not to say that every single hair will be gone forever, think of it more as a huge reduction for the foreseeable future.

SK:N are currently offering up to 40% off laser hair removal treatments, get in there while you can.


Sponsored post. 

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May 02, 2017

haircare heroes

A few months ago, I decided that I'd well and truly had enough of black hair and after years of damaging it with box dyes booked into the hairdressers to start the process of getting it back to my natural colour. I knew it would end up being a costly process, but weighed up the amount I spend on needlessly dying it myself compared with how much I'll save after I'd had the colour stripped out and decided that it would be well worth it. I've had two sets of balayage dyes in the last eight weeks and as I had a repairing treatment used each time, have noticed minimal damage. That being said, I'm now starting to finally take care of my hair properly and have devised a routine using some newly discovered products.


I'm rarely so impressed by a brand that I'd feel confident in using their entire range, but since I first tried out Davines at the start of the year, have been endlessly impressed by how well the products work with my hair. I've been using the OI Shampoo (£16) and OI Conditioner (£17.50) for around a month now, along with the All-in-One Milk (£19). I seriously want to shout it from the rooftops how incredible these products are. Only the tiniest amount of the shampoo is needed to create a soft, silky lather and it does a remarkable job of both cleansing and nourishing the hair. The conditioner has a light yet buttery texture which works beautifully on damaged hair and dry, itchy scalps without leaving any product build up behind. I tend to use the milk as a de-tangler if my hair is misbehaving, and before blow drying. The whole range has a faint masculine, musky yet sweet scent, which I'm completely addicted to. I'm not a fan of the usual sickly, fruity scents of haircare products, so this makes the whole range perfect for me. I'm currently eyeing up the 1L supersize bottles of the shampoo and conditioner as both work so well for me that I have no interest in ever trying out anything else! 

Another favourite Davines product of mine (told you, I'm their biggest fan) is the Sea Salt Spray (£15). I'm super careful when it comes to overloading my hair with product as there is nothing I hate more than the feeling of heavy, weighed down hair. This feels so lightweight, yet adds texture and body and can be used on both wet and dry hair. Yet another get it or regret it. 

As much as I'm a Davines addict, I couldn't write this post without giving a mention to Lush. Daddy-o (£11.50) is my second favourite shampoo of all time, and is my go-to for countering the brassy tones in my hair whilst leaving it smelling of parma violets. 

O&M Know Knott (£22) is perhaps the most expensive de-tangler of all time, but if you endlessly struggle with tangles, it's truly well worth considering. Packed with cold pressed Argan and Macadamia oil, it delivers shiny, sleek hair like nothing else. I've been on the same bottle for months and have only just got to the halfway point, which really proves its value for money. Especially considering it's currently down to just £9.25 here!  

The ends of my hair are forever in need of some loving care and require a little more attention than the rest of my hair. I opt for the Morroconoil Treatment (£25), which is of course a timeless classic. It work wonders at taming frizz and hiding split ends out of sight.





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