Paul Mitchell Haul

Hello Lovelies

I've had such a busy October that despite my best intentions I've lapsed on the blogging front somewhat! Anyway, I finally plucked up the courage to get my hair cut which, given my hairdresser trust issues was a massive step (more on that to come), but also gave me licence (in my mind at least) to place a little order with Lookfantastic. Most of you will know I have a bit of a fixation on Paul Mitchell products, so along with a couple of old favourites, I also picked up two products I haven't yet tried.

The Old Favourites:

 Platinum Blonde Shampoo

Super Strong Daily Conditioner

The New Kids on the Block:

Super Strong Liquid Treatment

Thicken Up Styling Liquid

 

Reviews coming soon!

xxx

REVIEW: Paul Mitchell Instant Moisture Daily Treatment

As you have probably noticed I absolutely LOVE Paul Mitchell products – so much so that I should probably be on commission! The reason I’m so enamoured by them is that I’ve yet to come across a bad one. I’ve tried about 15 products from the range and I can safely say that I would repurchase each and every one of them.

The product that I’ve chosen to review today is one of the bargains I picked up in Debenhams a few weeks ago when the in-store hairdressers was closing. I believe that this product would usually set you back around £11, but I managed to snaffle two for the princely sum of four English pounds, much to my delight.

As my hair is bleached I do struggle with dryness – often my hair bears more resemblance to a haystack than golden tresses, but I persevere in the never-ending quest for silky locks (usually with more than a little help from Aussie’s wonderful 3 minute miracle).

The product is billed as a daily treatment, which seems like a bit of a contradiction –I mean who uses a conditioning treatment on their hair daily?! Surely you’d end up with a head like an oil slick?! I think that the product is sort of a halfway house between a treatment and a conditioner – its light enough so that I find I can use it 3/4 times a week without ending up with a greasy mop, or alternatively I can slather it on, and leave it to do its magic for 5 -10 min minutes and be left with gorgeous silky hair.

I don’t really know how to describe the scent other than clean – it doesn't have a stand-out scent like some of the other PM products, so it would probably be a good product for someone with a sensitive scalp too.

Its not going to replace my beloved 3 minute miracle as my go-to treatment, but I love it all the same (especially for 2 quid!)

xxx

Aussie Goodies

I’m sure you’ve all read lots and lots of posts about this already but I thought I’d put my two penn’eth in!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Emma at Aussie to ask whether I would like to be part of phase II of Aussie Angels and of course I jumped at the chance (special thanks to Sinead for recommending me!) I attended a couple of the Aussie events during the first round and had a fab time so I was really excited about being more involved during phase II. The first this to d was to decide which tribe I belonged to – I identified with most of them (except Luscious Long) but given that my hair is generally flatter than a week old bottle of bubbly I plumped for the Aussome Volume tribe.

Being a bit lazy, when the postman knocked on my door at 6am on Saturday morning I grumbled a bit and rolled over for another hours beauty sleep – I regretted that decision when I spotted what seemed like half of the world tweeting about their Aussie welcome packs later in the day! Turns out my laziness meant I had to wait until Monday morning to pick my treats up from the Post Office, that’ll teach me.

So On Monday morning, I toddled off to said Post Office to pick up this little bundle of joy:

Which contained:

• Aussome Volume Shampoo and Conditioner
• 3 Minute Miracle (I love this stuff)
• An Aussie Mirror
• Comb
• Badges
• and a Crunchie (slightly irrelevant but who doesn’t love free chocolate?!)

I was really surprised to receive this, so I want to say a massive thank you to Aussie!

I haven’t tried out any of the Aussome Volume range as yet so stay tuned for reviews!

Shout up if you’re in the same tribe as me – I can’t wait to meet up with everyone at the party in July!

xxx

REVIEW: Aussie Dual Personality part 1: Curl Definition and Soft Feel Serum

One of my staple hair products is serum – I’m never without the stuff! I use it both before and after styling to tame the frizz and eliminate any flyaway static-y bits of hair that I always seem to have. I’m a bit of a Paul Mitchell devotee, and have always used Super Skinny serum, which I absolutely love. I recently went away for the weekend and somehow forgot to pack serum, so in a mad panic I picked up this Aussie product in the supermarket. I think that it cost me about £4.50 for 75 ml which is slightly cheaper that the Paul Mitchell product (£14 for 150ml). To be honest I’ve not really tried all that many Aussie products, in fact the only one I can remember using is the ubiquitous 3 Minute Miracle but I was drawn by the name of the product – since having shorter hair I’ve been dabbling with curls instead of the poker straight hair I’ve had for as long as I can remember. I’m quite impressed by this product and will probably use it alongside my Paul Mitchell staple so I thought I’d do a little review on it.

The serum claims to revive and separate each curl, giving  defined but bouncy locks with a soft feel. Ever the cynic, I was a bit dubious about the statements made but I’m happy to report that the product lives up to most of them.

The Serum contains  Australian Jojoba Seed oil which acts as a  built-in conditioner aid for your hair – which is definitely a bonus when you have slightly straw-like bleached locks like mine.

The product is clear (as expected) and slightly runnier than the Paul Mitchell product (which is the only other serum I’ve used) but this doesn’t cause me any problems. Oh, and it has the standard Aussie scent which I happen to love.

I prefer to use this on dry hair than wet as it makes my hair feel beautifully soft and shiny. When used on wet hair it gives plenty of definition but not so much softness. Having said that, its a great product for putting on your hair and leaving to dry naturally if you can’t be bothered with drying and straightening.

The Verdict? I’m not going to abandon Paul Mitchell yet but I’ll definitely use this product when I want curly locks or I’m giving the straighteners a rest.

xxx

Review: Lee Stafford Matt Fat Powder

I recently picked up this little pot of wonderfulness when shopping for products to give my newly-layered hair a bit of oomph, and I thought I'd do a quick review on it. 

When I bought this Boots were having one of their 3 for 2 on professional haircare promotions, but I believe that it usually retails for £8.99. The packaging resembles a salt shaker and is the standard hot pink Lee Stafford fare that we all know and love.

The blurb promises to give you volumised film star hair but I personally think that this product offers so much more! Not only does it deliver the promised volume, which is something that I previously only got through the use of rollers and LOTS of backcombing (which obviously isn't ideal) but it also does the job of a dry shampoo and mattifying product to boot. Plus, it smells absolutely divine! 

Magic fairy dust may be high praise indeed, but I can honestly say that this product fits the description… I have no idea how it works but all you have to do is sprinkle a small amount of product onto your roots, rub the powder into your roots, jujj up your hair a bit and your good to go!  I find that the product lasts well throughout the day but if I'm going out anywhere straight from work I tend to sprinkle a bit more product on, ruffle my hair up and I'm good to go. 

xxx

Lee Stafford Haul and quick review

Hello Lovelies

As many of you will be aware I recently got my hair chopped, and as is customary with a new haircut I popped to Boots to pick up some new products to try out. I was drawn to the 'designer' hair care ranges and after a quick nosy at the James Brown and John Frieda displays I found myself drawn to the unmistakeable pink of the Lee Stafford stand. I've always got on quite well with Lee Stafford products since my first dalliance with the dry shampoo and dehumidifiers from the range about 5 years ago (plus I love the packaging) so I thought that I'd stick to what I know.

I ended up picking up another Dry Shampoo and Dehumidifier along with some new additions - Double Blow Mousse, Matt Fat Powder and Messed Up Light Spray Wax. I haven't had chance to try out all of the new products yet, but I have given the light spray wax a whirl.  My hairdresser recommended using wax to separate the layers, which frightened me slightly as I'm a hair wax virgin, and always thought that hair wax would automatically result in me having a nasty, greasy mop. Having tried spray wax however it turns out that isn't the case! The layers on the top of my hair are quite short and this spray does a great job of giving me slightly messy, bed-head style hair. The spray itself is quite fine but its not easy to direct so its a bit all or nothing. If you're looking for something to make your layers appear more piece-y and defined I'd probably say go for a more traditional pot of wax rather than this product. Obviously you need to be quite sparing with the spray as too much will turn your head into a bit of an oil slick but overall I'm pretty impressed with the spray and for what I want it's great.

Any other recommendations for layer-friendly hair products would be more than welcome!

xxx
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Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes v Toni & Guy Platinum Blonde

 

I confess, I’m a shameless hussy when it comes to shampoo. I’ve done the rounds and given most brands a whirl, but for the last year or so I’ve been (relatively) faithful to Paul Mitchell’s Platinum Blonde Shampoo as my ally in the never-ending fight against brassiness. I’ve had a few dalliances with Superdrug Colour Effects which has impressed, but I’ve always gone back to the Paul Mitchell. The big plus of the Paul Mitchell product is that the toner in it isn’t too strong so I can used it on a daily basis, its moisturising and it smells delish!

Anyway, recently I’ve been playing away from home and alternating between Lee Stafford’s Bleach Blondes range and Toni and Guy’s Platinum Blonde range. Now that I’ve had a chance to put them through their paces I thought I’d report back with my findings.

Let’s start with the Toni and Guy products.

Packaging: Pretty much standard Toni and Guy fare right down to the annoying pump dispenser. Now I don’t have particularly long hair but I need a good 8 pumps of product to wash my hair which can get quite annoying – give me an old fashioned squeezy bottle any day.

Product: The products are OK; the toner isn’t very strong so the products can be used on a daily basis. The smell isn’t offensive and both the shampoo and conditioner contain moisturising ingredients which is a winner as my hair does sometimes feel a bit straw-like

Price: £5.49 each. Pretty standard for a mid-range shampoo – get them while they’re on offer.

….and onto the Lee Stafford products.

Packaging: I love the all of the Lee Stafford packaging, and this is no exception - it’s the usual hot pink colour and it’s in a wonderful squeezy bottle.

Product: The toner in the shampoo is quite potent, which I love. I’m a big fan of icy white-blonde hair so I like a stronger toner, but it may not be for everyone.  I wouldn’t recommend using the shampoo everyday unless a blue rinse is the look you’re going for! The conditioner is more of a lilac colour and is absolutely fine to use daily.

Price:  Much of a muchness to be honest, the Lee Stafford products are also £5.49 each – get them while they’re on 3 for 2, or when Boots are doing the £2 off professional hair care vouchers.

And the winner is………………………. (drumroll please…….)

Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes!!!

For me, the Lee Stafford products win hands down, I prefer (almost) everything about these products. The only thing I don’t like is the fact that I have to buy a non-toning shampoo to use on the in-between days, but I can overlook that.

xxx