tria Hair Removal Laser 4X & SmoothStart Calming Gel - 1 Month

Here we are, a month into my at-home laser hair removal journey! It is still too premature to say whether or not the tria Hair Removal Laser system works. But that is not of anyone's fault. The company even said it takes at least 3 months before results are very apparent. This series is mainly to keep everyone updated and so I too can look back and see if there was any progress or not. I am committing myself to a monthly update.

tria Hair Removal Laser Facial Hair 2 Weeks

tria Hair Removal Laser Facial Hair 4 Weeks, 1 month

Now that I am looking at it, I guess my wispy moustache hairs aren't that big of an issue in full face, medium scale photos. Sometimes it does feel like the hairs add a dark-ish shadow to the corners of my mouth though. Does it?

Since the first introductory post I made, I have used the laser on 2 additional occasions. Just as a recap: the very first session was conducted at the level 3 setting with no calming gel, the second at level 4 with calming gel, and the third at level 5 with calming gel.

I was surprised by how ineffective the SmoothStart Calming Gel was at stopping the pain sensation. When that laser hits a hair follicle, you can definitely feel the zap. The gel did help a little with the warm feeling which comes with the laser zapping. Having too thick a layer of the gel product doesn't give any extra protection, unfortunately. Doing this actually hinders the laser from being able to sense the skin properly.

I was equally shocked to find that level 5 doesn't really hurt that much more compared to level 3 or 4. Since I have the gel, it won't go to waste. It will most definitely be used up. As for whether I would repurchase it or deem it necessary with the laser, my current answer is no. Then again...I haven't tried level 5 without the gel. Perhaps I'll try it and update next month.

tria Hair Removal Laser Facial Hair 2 Weeks Closeup

tria Hair Removal Laser Facial Hair 4 Weeks, 1 month Closeup

Upper lips.

There was probably no progression in hair loss or less hair growth 2 weeks after the first treatment. By the next bi-weekly session, I did notice slower hair growth. It didn't feel like there were any bald spots per say. Just that the hairs seemed like it was coming back at a slower pace. It is difficult to get a clear shot of what I mean with the upper lips.

tria Hair Removal Laser Armpits Hair 2 Weeks

tria Hair Removal Laser Armpits Hair 4 Weeks, 1 month

Armpits.

The results are surely more noticeable with my armpits hairs. Some hairs grew back just as long but there are also equally as many, if not more, follicles that are thinner and shorter. I am also keeping my fingers crossed that the hair laser will help fix the ingrown hairs somehow.

tria Hair Removal Laser Knuckle Hair 2 Weeks

tria Hair Removal Laser Knuckle Hair 4 Weeks, 1 month

Knuckle hairs.

This area was the most difficult to treat. Since the laser nozzle is flat and my knuckles are anything but, getting the laser to sensor my skin was challenging. There is a high possibility that I missed some hair follicles. But there does seem like something happening to the knuckle hairs; certain fingers' also experienced the same slower and finer hair regrowth like on my upper lips and armpits.


It hasn't been 3 months yet, but I think I can safely say there are some results even after 1 month. The photos seem promising enough to continue on with the process. 'Til next time!

December Hauls - May Coop

What can I say? After splurging on the tria Hair Removal Laser 4X, I told myself that I would hold off on buying any beauty related goodies until I finished that particular type of product. But gosh is it hard to resist those darn end-of-the-year holiday sales!

All the beauty shops, whether online or in-store, had multiple promotions running in December. I tried desperately to not check my sales e-mail and hoped to avoid overspending. Sephora was ultimately the instigator. When I found out that VIB members would have a $20 off $50 gift card to spend, my interest was piqued and my brain couldn't stop lusting over "necessary" skincare products.

lavlilacs 2016 December beauty haul

I felt I absolutely needed some products in my arsenal to battle the dry winter season. May Coop  Raw Sauce came under my radar via Sephora's K-Beauty page. The promise of "hydrating softener" sounded very fitting for any impending parched skin. Heres to hoping the special maple tree sap will work some wonders as NYC gets colder.

Since an essence would definitely not have been enough to be the standalone barrier between my skin and the natural elements, I wound up getting May Coop Raw Moisturizer from Peach & Lily as well. It was inconvenient to not find the rest of May Coop's lineup at Sephora. Luckily, Peach & Lily had a 12 days of Christmas promo and one of the days they offered 35% off popular hydrating products, which included the Raw Moisturizer.

The Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover was a bag filler of sorts. The May Coop Raw Sauce was $43 which meant I was short $7 from getting Free Shipping. It never hurts to have a little travel bottle of makeup remover at home, right? The Laura Mercier Foundation Primer in Blemish-less was a freebie via a promo code. I have heard good things about Laura Mercier's other foundation primers but this Blemish-less version was completely new to me. I wonder if it would really help with breakouts while also keeping foundation in-tact...

Side review: This was my first time ordering from Peach & Lily. They are a brand that I have followed recently and have heard fellow beauty blogs say good things about. I love their selection of indie Korean beauty brands and how tailored the website is towards different skin conditions. I was drawn by their introductory Peach Points offer, which essential gives new online customers $10 gift card to use towards the first purchase. However, I was a tad disappointed to find that I couldn't used both a promotion code (ex: % off) and the gift card for the same purchase. I do understand that it is probably to protect against coupon/promo abuse. But that just means if anyone buy a lot and accumulate many points, it wouldn't be usable during sales. Maybe I was being too greedy in thinking I could get a super good deal?

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays everyone!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and for putting up with my crazily long posts of late. I will spare everyone from all my words this time, so go and enjoy some good eats and good company.

lavlilacs Japan Tokyo Shibuya Christmas decorations