Lucie Loves... Beauty // Laser hair removal at Pulse Light Clinic, London
We’re in full-on countdown mode now. For the past 12-months @jmgcreative and I have been planning our ultimate party also known as the wedding.
It got me thinking about bridal beauty and all of the preening and pampering that comes with looking and feeling good on your big day. In the next 5-months running up to our May wedding I’ll be visiting Bobbi Brown to discuss the perks of DIY bridal makeup versus paying someone a few bob to come and do it for me.
My good friend Roz - a much-trusted veteran in all things high-end beauty, has recommended that I book in for a couple of facials in the months between now and the wedding. However, she hesitates to add, do NOT have a facial in the last couple of weeks before the big day itself, as you don’t want to be battling unnecessary redness or break-out in spots for the wedding photos.
Inline with my new bridal beauty regime I’ve joined the gym. I started just before the Christmas break, back in November, and have been going to around 2-3 classes each week, including: Body Pump, Boxercise, Spinning, Total Body Circuits, Pilates and various forms of Yoga. For me, the gym isn’t just about keeping trim or shaping up to look good in my wedding dress, it’s about self-preservation. My mental health and wellbeing. Fitness = escapism. Plus I get to go into the sauna and steam room afterwards to really unwind. Bliss!
Another great way to keep yourself sane when planning your wedding is to delegate tasks to your fiancé, family and friends. Don’t try and do it all yourself - no (wo)man is an island. Trust me - they want to help you and you will be better off for it.
Those of you who’ve just gotten engaged (congrats!) will know that planning a wedding is like being thrown into the role of Project Manager. You’re expected to make an infinite number of important decisions, whilst simultaneously managing peoples expectations, sticking to deadlines and ensuring that you’ve sorted out a budget to pay for the thing in the first place. The budget talk is one of the most important ones that you will have: until you know how much money you’ve got to spend you cannot really start planning.
Along with my renewed fitness and beauty endeavours, I’m also trying out laser hair removal. I was initially approached by Pulse Light Clinic, who asked whether the procedure would be something that I would be interested in reviewing. Always one to try new things, I said yes and on Saturday I’ll be undergoing my second laser hair removal treatment at their London clinic on Fenchurch Street.
As with anything that you’ve never done before, especially those things involving scary, red-hot lasers and delicate body parts - this sort of treatment is not something that I’d venture into blindly. I looked at dozens and dozens of reviews online. I searched before and after photos, and I also went for a free consultation and patch test to see whether my skin and hair type would be suitable to carry out the 6-part treatment plan necessary to achieve the kind of results I was expecting.
I’ve been waxing on and off for years now. Since moving to London, I found the price of beauty treatments considerably higher than salons elsewhere in the UK. I’d got a bit fed up of paying £50 a time to see a beauty therapist only for the hair to grow back within a matter of weeks. It was like groundhog day shelling out money for Lycon waxing every few weeks - although if you’re thinking of going for a wax, THIS is definitely the one to go for!
What do you have to do?
In order to see whether my skin was suitable for laser hair removal I had to shave the hair completely before visiting the clinic for a patch test. Any hair remaining in the area to be treated will be burnt off by the laser and will cause additional discomfort and burnt hair smells disgusting!
I was surprised at just how quickly the treatment took to complete! In 15-minutes I was all undressed, goggles on, lasered, goggles off, dressed and on my way again.
So what does it feel like?
In terms of pain - I would liken the sensation to that of wearing a SlenderTone abs belt on the highest setting. The laser causes a hot, prickling sensation on your skin as the beam of light destroys the hair follicle - without destroying the surrounding skin.
Why would you do it?
I’m not saying it was completely painless - but it was certainly less traumatic than some of the waxing I’ve had the misfortune to endure at the hands of incompetent beauty therapists over the years. The cost of buying a 6-part treatment plan is more or less the same (per month) as what it would have cost me to pay for a London wax, only this time after 6 treatments my hair growth would have significantly reduced or stopped completely.
So does it work?
I’ve had one treatment so far, and my next one is coming up this Saturday. I’ve noticed a massive difference in the rate that the hair grows and the amount that has grown back. It’s significantly less than it would be if I’d stuck with conventional waxing. So far, I’m delighted with the results and look forward to seeing whether this is going to be one of the best beauty treatments I’ve ever invested in.
» Read more about how laser hair removal works
1st floor
150-152 Fenchurch St
London
EC3M 6BB
**Thank you to Pulse Light Clinic for inviting me to review the treatment**
Laser hair removal results
Update: 18/09/15
I’ve now finished all of my laser hair removal treatments and have had great results. It’s definitely one of the best beauty decisions I’ve made. I’m now going to save a lot of money on waxing. I’d definitely recommend going in and speaking to the team and having a patch test done to see if you are suitable for the treatment.