CHLOE MARY : beauty

December 07, 2017

STRONG & BRIGHT WITH PRONAMEL*

I've always suffered from sensitive teeth since being a child but I've never really looked into any products aimed at reducing my sensitivities or the reasoning behind it if I'm honest. So when Pronamel recently got in touch seeing if I wanted to trial their new 'Strong and Bright' toothpaste which is aimed to strengthen the enamel on your teeth and protect against acid erosion, I couldn't say no.

A lot of things we eat and drink on a daily basis can cause our enamel to be weakened due to the acids they contain and weakened tooth enamel can not only cause sensitivities, but can also cause teeth to look dull and give them that unsightly 'yellow' hue. A study recently showed that almost one third of candidates aged 18-35 displayed signs of acid erosion.

With Pronamel Strong and Bright*, we can help protect our tooth enamel from further damage caused by acids contained in soft drinks, fruit juices and even fruit. I found a little goes a long way due to the paste 'frothing' in your mouth as you brush (this sounds odd to write but it's a good thing!) I took this on holiday with my recently to Fuerterventura and have to say, all the cold drinks and ice cream caused me no issues after using this both morning and night. Especially after all the sugary drinks and foods, my teeth felt smooth and clean after brushing due to the slight exfoliating feel the toothpaste has to it which helps to polish away stains.

I'm unable to yet comment 100% on it's brightening effects after using this for only one week but I am noticing a slight 'brighter' glow to my teeth that I did not before. The packaging is also a huge bonus as I normally don't get along with traditional toothpaste packaging. This is both sleek, stylish and functional allowing to to distribute the right amount of paste for brushing.

To find out more visit https://www.sensodyne.co.uk/products/pronamel-strong-Bright-enamel.html

Pronamel Strong & Bright Enamel is available to buy at Tesco, Boots and Superdrug, priced at £5.00

*DISCLAIMER - I am the author of all content featured/ any content published on www.lovefromlucky.com. Content on this blog does not reflect the views or opinions of any other person, company or website. I am sent products or services from PR companies or brands to feature on the website in return for my review purposes. I am not obligated to review any product I am sent in a positive way and all views shared are 100% my own. PR samples will be disclosed and marked with * and any products not listed in this way have been purchased by myself or gifted to me from friends and family.

November 05, 2017

SHAVING YOUR FACE?! | DERMAPLANING RED CARPET FACIAL FT. JOJO'S*

The title may make this sound crazy but technically, it's not shaving your face. I wanted to catch your attention and put some myth's about dermaplaning to rest once and for all.

AREN'T YOU JUST SHAVING YOUR FACE?!

No. Dermaplaning is a manual exfoliation technique where your skins surface debris (and peach fuzz) is removed with a custom Dermaplaning blade which is similar to that of a surgeon's scalpel. The hair that is removed from your face is different to the hair that grows on your head and body. The hair removed during Dermaplaning will grow back no faster or darker than it previously was, simply just grow as usually. For best results, treatment is recommended every 4-6 weeks.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?!

There are many benefits to having Dermaplaning. The obvious being the peach fuzz is removed from your face and dead skin you don't need. This will help your skin to better absorb products used such as serums and moisturisers which in turn will improve the look of your skin, your makeup will also look FLAWLESS. The treatment gives your skin a more radiant appearance and helps diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles. It also preps the skin for any further treatments. As part of the red carpet facial, you will also be set up with the Neoelegance Light therapy mask. Depending on your skincare needs, you are paired up with a red or blue LED light. Red is for clients looking to benefit from anti ageing properties where as the Blue is targeted for clients with acne/ breakouts due to it's antibacterial properties.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?!

If you're looking for the full Red carpet facial which includes a treatment of Dermaplaning followed by the Neoelegance light therapy mask, the cost is £60. The Dermaplaning treatment alone is £35 but for best results, personally I'd recommend the full works.

DO I NEED TO DO ANYTHING ONCE I'VE HAD THE TREATMENT?!

You are given a list of do's and don'ts that you need to make sure you follow. It is recommended that you use a gentle cleanser twice a day (morning and night) to keep your skin glowing and follow up with a serum or moisturiser. I've found Lush's Enzymion in the morning followed by Decleor Facial Oil has been the PERFECT combination for me but of course anything targeted to your skin type will work ten times better after you've had the facial. It is also recommended you do not exfoliate or use any harsh brushes, avoid heat and sunbeds, steam rooms and sun exposure 3 days minimum after treatment. If you are going to be exposed to the sun, you need to make sure you're wearing at least an SPF of 30 and you avoid too much exposure as your skins absorption levels are elevated at this time. It is also advised you are careful with self tanning products as your absorption levels are elevated, it can develop quicker than usual.

IS IT WORTH IT?!

YES. My skin has never looked or felt this good. The treatment is painless and the mask (although a little heavy during treatment) really helped to clear my breakouts. I can't thank Jojo's enough for letting me try this new treatment and I am thrilled with the results.

WHERE CAN I GET THIS DONE?!

Make sure to contact Jojo's either on her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pg/wwwsmartjo.co.uk/services/ or you can contact her alternatively via telephone on 07772 155850. Jojo's Nails and Beauty is located in Bristol Horfield (Allfoxton Road) and coming soon, will be offering the full Red Carpet Treatment in a salon in Clifton. Please contact her directly to book in.

*DISCLAIMER - I am the author of all content featured/ any content published on www.lovefromlucky.com. Content on this blog does not reflect the views or opinions of any other person, company or website. I am sent products or services from PR companies or brands to feature on the website in return for my review purposes. I am not obligated to review any product I am sent in a positive way and all views shared are 100% my own. PR samples will be disclosed and marked with * and any products not listed in this way have been purchased by myself or gifted to me from friends and family.

October 20, 2017

AUTUMN VIBES | FT.MUA BONITA*

December 11, 2016

LA RICHE DIRECTIONS TIPS & TRICKS

I'm a bit of a hair dying addict if you didn't already figure that out (anyone who knows me hates me for it!) and I do it so much that hardly anyone notices anymore. Bad right? I love a good box dye like the next girl but I find although they do a good job, they just don't quite add that bright 'alternative' red look to my hair that I'm after (if you go red, go RED) and it definitely dries your hair out. That's where the La Riche Directions hair dyes come in and if you haven't used them before (regardless if you're red or any other colour) you should.

The dyes come in 34 shades from Poppy Red to Alpine Green and even include a range of toners and pastel shades (although you can mix your own pastel shades but I'll go into that more) They come in a little 88ml pot which you will look at and think it's not enough but on my short hair, I can get almost 3 uses from just one tub (if I really want to saturate my hair, two uses) and you can actually mix the shades together to create your own customer colour. With the screw top lid, they suggest any left over dye lasts between a month or two but I actually had some left over from just over a year ago now and I've used this on my hair now with no problems.

The dyes are 'Semi Permanent' but what I love about the Directions dyes is that they're conditioning dyes. The directions state to put onto towel dried hair and leave for around 15-30 minutes. If I'm just looking for a refresh and a top up on my already dyed red hair, I go for around 15-20 minutes however if I was using this as my main hair dye, I'd probably go for around 30-40 mins. Due to them being conditioning dyes, you do not have to worry about them drying your hair out and I've actually seen some people leave them over for between 1 hour and overnight. As well as being able to mix the dyes together (I love to mix some Pillarbox Red, Poppy Red and Vermillion Red to get my own bright personalised shade) you can dilute them with conditioner if you're after a less vivid or pastel toned colour. They do come in a range of already made pastel shades but to save you money in the long run, invest in the colour you want and dilute with any white conditioner to get the same result but for less.

My top 5 tips for using these dyes would be:

1. Buy some gloves. They do not come with the dye but due to the price (I get mine for £2.99 from a hairdressing store but they range online from £3.00-£8.00 depending on the shade and popularity but you can get deals on multiple tubs) you don't really mind. I just buy myself a box of non latex gloves for around £2.00 and this will last you then for the next few times you wish to top up your colour or dye your hair.

2. Have a hair dying towel. These dyes stain like CRAZY. That's why they're so good at lasting because they pretty much stain your cuticles. You will struggle to get this out of your hair let alone if you get it all over your bath tub and beautiful white towels. Prepare your environment with some old towels and you won't look like you're starring in a Saw parody.

3. Wash your hair prior to the dying process. But do not condition until AFTER. If you can use a clarifying shampoo then all the better as you'll start off with a fresh canvas for the dye to evenly take. After dying, do NOT wash your hair but use some conditioner or a mask to put some softness back into your hair.

4. The lighter the base you start off with, the better colour pay off you will get and more true to the shade you see in the tub you'll get. This time round, I just put it on top of my already dyed red hair but the first time I used the shades, I put them onto a light ginger base and the red was VERY vivid.

5. Get yourself some 'supplies'. This includes your gloves as Tip 1 advises, a tinting bowl and brush will help the process loads and will make it easy especially if you're mixing shades. I like to use either a tinting bowl or just an old tuppaware box if you can't get a bowl and a tinting brush will help apply to your roots and hairline. Then you can massage the dye into the hair to help spread the dye. These dyes are super easy to work with and the colour pay off is incredible if applied properly. If you use more than one colour (say top layer of hair red and bottom layer black) I would suggest you apply in two seperate processes. Example - Section your hair, apply the red and leave for 15-20 minutes, rinse and dry then apply your black to the bottom section. This will allow more precise application and a better result.

The shades are actually really long lasting depending on the base you apply the shades too but if you use a colour protective shampoo and conditioner, you will get a longer lasting result. Just a word of warning, I've only used the red dyes and they bleed a LOT. I did use the White toner on my blonde hair and that lasted about 10 washes or so before I started to see yellow again but with that one, I actually had to use the whole tub.

(Image from https://worldofevelien.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/img_1481.jpg)

*DISCLAIMER - I am the author of all content featured/ any content published on www.lovefromlucky.com. Content on this blog does not reflect the views or opinions of any other person, company or website. I am sent products or services from PR companies or brands to feature on the website in return for my review purposes. I am not obligated to review any product I am sent in a positive way and all views shared are 100% my own. PR samples will be disclosed and marked with * and any products not listed in this way have been purchased by myself or gifted to me from friends and family.

December 01, 2016

SUPERDRUG COLOUR VIBRANCE IN FIRE RED 8.45 REVIEW

March 22, 2016

BIRCHBOX MARCH 2016 REVIEW

Yes this is the 3rd time I have re-subscribed to Birchbox and yes, this is also the 3rd time I will be subscribing. So I was happily living my life without Birchbox and then I got another one of their lovely emails enticing me back as a subscriber with a free gift if I re-subscribed for March. I didn't realise this was code for 'this month's box isn't very good so here's a free gift if you want to be a return customer with us'. I was really looking forward to being a subscriber again as there was some fairly decent brands and products being advertised as featured this month but I should've known that this was just to entice you and I know it's not always what you get but had hoped that maybe I would actually get it this time. Anyways enough of my ranting and onto the unboxing.

This month's theme was 'word up' - described by Birchbox as a month to help you search and find your ultimate beauty discovery. The word search box was designed for you to have a little fun along with your beauty products. Every box received an Arrow Boost Enhancing Lip Balm that is cleverly designed to react to the PH level in your lips, creating your own personal and unique colour. Also featured is a ModelCo More Brows brow gel to help fill in sparse brows - Birchbox send you either Light/Medium and Medium/Dark depending on the colour you fill out in your personal details. I got a Light/Medium but there's not a huge amount to say to this product. If you've used the Benefit Gimme Brow or something similar it's pretty much the same thing just a lower end version. Both products will be used and I did know I'd be getting both items so I can't be too disappointed but they're both welcome .. although neither would probably be repurchased.

The box also advertised brands such as Hydraluron, Lanolips, This Works and Spectrum Collections but none of those were in my box sadly ... the remaining contents featured a Comforting Face Mask and Exfoliator by Doux Me, Beauty Protector Beauty Body Wash (actually listed in my booklet as a Body Cream so possibly sent the wrong product?) Nude Pro Genius Omega Treatment Oil and Number 4 Reconstructing Mask sachet. The box itself in terms of £££ is pretty good but the level of products some are a real hit and some a real miss.

I didn't think I'd enjoy the Number 4 Reconstructing Masque and when I saw the meesly looking sachet I didn't think my bleached damaged hair would really benefit from this at all .. but I have to be fair to Birchbox this was AMAZING. The product should be applied to freshly washed hair and I would recommend squeezing out excess water so hair is partly dry. You then apply the product through the ends and work your way up to the roots. Don't be too worried about applying this to the roots, it didn't make my hair greasy one bit. I did use it slightly different to the instructions and left it to air dry for around 15 minutes then washed out with warm water and allowed my hair to air dry. My hair felt amazing the day after and I didn't even need to use heat tools. This is quite a rarity for my hair and it only ever feels this good after a Kerastase treatment I get put on at the hairdressers for £16.00 a pop. I think for £36 it's a rather expensive product but on reflection of paying for my normal treatment, I would be sure to purchase this again. It's just a shame it's out of stock via Birchbox so I guess everyone else thought the same.

I have yet to use the Beauty Protector Body Wash which as I said was incorrectly labelled in the description booklet and to be honest, it just seems like a bulk standard body wash that I'll use in about 2-3 washes and never purchase again, plus at an RRP of £10.90 it's more than I'd usually pay for a bodywash. The Nude Pro Genius Treatment Oil is a nice little bonus, I have previously heard good things about this product and have been looking for a more intensive treatment to use at night. I shall enjoy using this and the 5ml sample is pretty aye okay with my when a fullsize bottle is an RRP of £58. Again I have my HG face mask that I love to use so I'm not sure I'll get much out of the Doux Me Mask but I will be trying it one night, I may leave this for a little pamper night to see what it can offer but it looks like enough for 1-2 applications which can be hard to properly know if a product is worth purchasing and at £18.00 RRP this is more than my usual HG product.

Overall, I was actually quite disappointed with this month's box and this is why I have cancelled my subscription a 3rd time around. There was two really good quality items being the Hair Masque and the Treatment Oil, two okay-ish products being the Lip Balm and the Eyebrows gel and two products I would've happily missed out on to be honest. I may try Birchbox again when they offer their little 'enticing' gifts to get me to subscribe again but for now, this box has been laid to rest.

You can however get the Birchbox via my recommendation link and receive £5.00 worth of points when you subscribe here ---> https://www.birchbox.co.uk/invite/lovefromlucky and be quick as April's is coming soon! You can though use this link for next month so don't worry!