Review: Look Fantastic 1st Birthday Beauty Box

Look Fantastic are currently running a special 1st Birthday promotion where you can receive a FREE September Beauty Box worth £55 when you spend £55 or more! Usually their boxes are between £11.25 and £15 depending on your chosen subscription.

I was sent one of their Birthday boxes to review and was impressed to see it was packed full of products!

The box I received contained:

• Phyto - Phytokeratine Extreme (leave in conditioner)
• Tan Worx - Tan Maintainer
• Codage - Creme Gommante
• Sebastian Penetraitt shampoo and conditioner 
•  Bliss - Fabulous Foaming Face Wash
• Caudalie - Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet
• Caudalie - Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching Serum

I'm really looking forward to trying these out, especially the Phyto conditioner formulated for dry hair as my hair is in deep need of moisture!

Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes? What do you think of Look Fantastic's offering?

Review: Hair is Fabric HIF Cleansing Conditioners

As my hair has been long and coloured for many years I am always on the lookout for gentler ways of washing it to ensure it doesn’t become dry and frizzy. I am a big fan of cleansing conditioners as they don’t strip your hair of natural oils, so when I was offered the new HIF (Hair is Fabric) range to review I jumped at the opportunity.

Hair really is like fabric. It’s made up of dead cells that can’t be repaired. The most effective way of achieving healthy hair is simply by preventing it’s fibre from being damaged in the first place. HIF is designed to be akin to dry cleaning for hair….only with water!

 

The HIF range of 15 Cleansing Conditioners has been formulated to fully cleanse using Fractionated Cleansing Particles that do not strip the natural oils from the hair and scalp. The unique particles bind only to dirt and leave the hair fabric alone. This allows for all impurities to be fully removed and rinsed away without stripping or damaging the hair.

A first-ever Fabric Depositing Technology has also been included to deliver next-generation active ingredients effectively to the deepest parts of the hair. This technology is used in the textile world to deposit dyes into fabrics and stop them from being rinsed away through consistent washing. Most haircare products target only the cuticle, leaving a superficial healthy look, but no long-term benefits. HIF’s delivery technology allows actives to remain anchored to the cuticle, even through washing, thus facilitating the penetration of ingredients into the deepest parts of the hair. Thanks to nourishing and conditioning ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Exotic Oils and Precious Rock extracts hair will become stronger, shinier and smoother with each and every wash.

Unlike most cleansing conditioners, which do not foam, HIF offers an exaggerated foaming feeling by creating a unique fake foam (in seven of its formulations).

The collection includes:

·         Hydration Support

·         Intensive Detox

·         Colour Support

·         Volume Support

·         Straight HairSupport

·         Curly Hair Support

·         Anti-Frizz Support

·         Growth Support

·         Anti-Aging Support

·         Black Hue Support

·         Red Hue Support

·         Brunette Hue Support

·         Blonde Hue Support

·         Silver Hue Support

·         Anti-Brass Support

I love that the range has so many different formulations so you can really target your hair’s needs. I chose the Red Hue Support (as red is the most tricky colour to maintain) and Anti-Frizz Support to try to keep my hair under control during these humid Summer days. These cleansing conditioners do not foam, but feel very rich and creamy. Personally, I don’t mind the lack of foam as I simply wet my hair, massage the conditioner through and leave it for a few minutes before rinsing thoroughly.

The Red Hue Support was very red when it came out of the tube. As my hair is long I felt like I had to use a lot to saturate the hair on my first wash, but this may be a testament to how dehydrated my hair was as it seemed to suck up all the product. It did take a while to rinse out the conditioner as it is very pigmented and I did feel that some deposits were left on my hair so it felt a little heavier than usual, but the colour looked visibly better. The next time I used it I applied less to the root area and this prevented my hair from being weighed down, but still gave the benefits of hydration and kept my colour vibrant.

The Anti-Frizz Support is a slightly lighter formulation, while still being moisturising and caring for the hair. Once again I concentrated it on my mid lengths and ends and it rinsed out well leaving my hair soft and smooth with a really long-lasting scent.

The HIF range is available through the Deciem webiste here and on www.victoriahealth.com  priced at £20-50. You can get 15% OFF using my discount code NORTHAMERICA15. Enjoy! x

Review: New Liz Earle Haircare

For the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of trialling Liz Earle's new and improved haircare range*. While haircare has been part of Liz Earle's line for some time it has recently been reformulated and revamped (after one of the key ingredients yangu oil was no longer available due to drought and poor harvests). The new Botanical Shine range has been formulated using Kalahari melon oil, which promises a host of benefits including being light, super hydrating and protecting from heat damage.

 

As before the range has one Botanical Shine Shampoo for all hair types, three conditioners (fine/ oily, normal, dry/ damaged hair) and a nourishing hair oil.

The shampoo is definitely my favourite part of the range as it is super soft, feels lovely to use and smells wonderful. It doesn't strip the hair of moisture and leaves my scalp feeling comfortable. A little goes a long way and rather than adding more product you just need to keep adding water to create a lovely, rich lather, despite it being SLS free.

I have tried all the conditioners and I am a fan of the new formulation. It's not a major change, but they do feel a little more creamy than I remember. As well as the Kalahari melon oil these conditioners contain a blend of meadowfoam oil with extracts of apple and orange to boost shine.

I am usually drawn to the heaviest and richest conditioner I can find as my hair is long, colour treated and has a lot of texture, but I think that these are so hydrating that even the 'normal hair' formula is enough to keep my hair smooth. I love the fact that they are silicone free and rinse out well so my hair is left swishy and soft, but still feels clean with no product build up.

The new Botanical Shine Nourishing Hair Oil contains a beautiful blend of oils, while still feeling light and non greasy. Just one pump is enough to add some smoothness and shine to my hair. I have mainly used it on the mid lengths and ends of towel dried hair and have found that it reduces blow drying time, but it is also light enough to be used to tame frizz or flyaways or condition parched ends when the hair is dry. Unfortunately this oil does have some silicones, so I thought it would be fair to post the ingredients below...

I know I have raved about Liz Earle's skincare throughout the many years of this blog, but I am happy to say that her haircare also does not disappoint! Phew!

Have you tried the new Liz Earle Haircare range? Do you think the new formulations have made a big difference?

Envy Dual Fix 12 Hair Treatment Review

As the warmer months (it’s deceptive to refer to it as Summer in freezing London at the moment) have progressed I have noticed the condition of my hair deteriorate. Prior to my wedding I tried to keep it healthy by reducing heat styling and the frequency with which I was colouring it. I have to say that since then I haven’t really gone back to my hair destroying ways, and other than a little rough blow dry and the odd tong I have mostly left it to its own devices. Sadly, this hasn’t helped as my hair has become really dry and even more unruly and I have noticed a lot more split ends than usual!

Prior to taking the scissors to it in a more drastic approach I thought I would try out the Envy Dual Fix 12 treatment that promises to improve the condition of your hair and help blow dry and styling results. It delivers a high impact paraben-free blend of hydrolysed silk proteins and keratin amino acids with 12 incredible benefits for smoother, glossier hair that’s easier to manage. It aims to target damaged areas and attract moisture to give you instant and long lasting results.

This treatment can be used in two ways. I went for the intensive option which involves application of the mousse from roots to ends onto dry unwashed hair. I then rough dried my hair with a hairdryer. Following this I rinsed, shampooed (twice) and conditioned as normal. Alternatively for regular use you can shampoo your hair, rinse, apply the foam generously to wet hair, leave for 1 minute, rinse and condition as normal.

The foam texture makes the treatment very easy to apply as it doesn’t drip or leave your hair soaking wet. I did find this took a little bit of time for my long hair and I felt like I was using a lot of product, but as usual foams tend to be a little deceptive in that afterwards a quick shake of the bottle revealed plenty of product left.

Overall, I am really pleased with the results of this treatment. Unlike many oil based deep conditioning treatments I have used in the past the Envy DualFix 12 hasn’t left my hair feeling lank and heavy and instead it feels bouncy and light with a little more gloss and life. The split ends are obviously still present, but as the overall texture of my hair has improved they are definitely less noticeable and my hair feels and looks much less brittle. I usually blow dry just the front section and while my hair had not been participating very well in this with frizz and flyaways all around this morning’s efforts were rewarded with groomed and shiny locks. Success!

I wouldn’t say this treatment is too intensive and being light I could see it working really well on thinner hair that can be prone to product build up. I sometimes prefer a richer deep conditioning mask as my hair is pretty dry, but I liked the fact that this one was so easy to use and didn’t require endless shampooing to remove product. I plan to continue to use it regularly alongside my normal shampoo and conditioner and look forward to seeing how the condition of my hair improves with further applications!

Have you ever tried Envy Dual Fix 12 Treatment? What did you think of it? Do you have any hair treatments you love and could recommend?

Herbally Ever After

Did you know that Herbal Essences turned 40 last year? I had no idea that the brand that brought us those iconic Yes moments has such an established heritage!

To celebrate their anniversary Herbal Essences have brought out a special range of Herbally Ever After shampoo and conditioners, where the packaging evokes the beautiful scents hidden inside.

I was kindly sent the above set with extracts of royal jasmine and silk sea palm to review and was absolutely astounded at how the fragrance brought back memories. Having used Herbal Essences throughout my teenage years it was fun to try out an old favourite and to see how it has evolved!

To celebrate their birthday Herbal Essences are holding a competition where you could win:

• 1^st Prize- Cut & Blow Dry with Ben Cooke, Herbal’s celeb stylist, at Lockonego Salon (worth c. £300) in Central London
• 2^nd Prize- a year’s supply of Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner
• 3^RD Prize- a Herbal Essences Hamper

To enter this competition all you have to do is leave a comment below telling us about your favourite Herbal Essences moment! Good Luck my lovelies! xxx

Now the boring bit... the competition T&Cs:

1. Open to all residents in the UK aged 18 years or over only, excluding employees of
Procter & Gamble UK and its affiliates or agents, the families of such employees and any
other person connected with this promotion.
2. The Prizes : 1st Prize covers: Cut & Blow Dry with Ben Cooke, Herbal’s celeb stylist, at
Lockonego Salon in Central London (worth up to £195) to be booked by 30 th April 2012.
Travel, accommodation and other costs are not included. 2nd Prize- a year’s supply
of Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner – 200ml bottles across one of Herbal
Essences ranges. 3RD Prize - a Herbal Essences Hamper of products worth up to £11.05
3. To enter leave your comment on the blog stating your favorite Herbal Essences moment.
Comment must appear by 13tH March 2013
4. No Purchase Necessary.
5. One entry per person.
6. After the closing date the winner will be chosen by a panel of judges including Ben
Cooke and an independent adjudicator based on the best comment. Winners will be
notified via the blog within 14 days of the closing date and they have 7 days from date
of notification to confirm their win and provide details of their name and address,
otherwise the promoter reserves the right to select an alternative prize winner.
7. The 2nd and 3rd prizes will be delivered within 28 days of prize claim being received.
8. Winners may be required to take part in reasonable publicity associated with the
promotion.
9. There is no cash alternative in whole or in part.
10. The Promoter will not be liable for entries not received, incomplete, delayed or
damaged.
11. Promoter reserves right to provide prizes of equal or greater value if prize is unavailable
for any reason.
12. Your personal details will only be used for the purposes of administering this promotion
and for no other purposes. For more information on our privacy policy, please visit:
http://www.pg.com/privacy/english/privacy notice.shtml.
13. The promoter's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Promoter:
Procter & Gamble UK, Weybridge, Surrey. KT13 0XP

*This is a sponsored post*

Organic Surge Nature's Winter Wonders Bundle

I am quite knew to the British brand Organic Surge so I was excited to try out their latest bundle of products designed especially for pampering your skin this season. The Organic Surge Nature’s Winter Wonders Bundle is the perfect gift for top-to-toe natural nourishment, wrapping your skin and hair in nurturing moisture to protect from the effects of cold weather and central heating.

This Gift Set contains:

• Organic Surge Moisture Boost Shampoo to boost moisture retention in hair
• Organic Surge Moisture Boost Conditioner to protect the hair’s natural oils
• Organic Surge Super-Intensive Daily Moisturiser to nourish, condition and rehydrate skin
• Organic Surge Spiced Lily Bath Foam to de-stress and revive the body and mind
• Organic Surge Sugared Almond Shower Gel to moisturise and nourish the body (my favourite)
• Organic Surge Gentle Meadow Body Lotion to leave skin soft, smooth and moisturised

…All packaged in an Organic Surge gift bag

At £29.95 for 6 products this bundle makes a lovely gift, as well as a great introduction to a natural brand free from parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate and artificial fragrances and colourants.

Free Ojon Shampoo and Conditioner!

Fancy a gift of a new shampoo and conditioner worth £41.50? Well on the 8th of November you can receive just that by visiting your nearest Ojon retailer. You can trade in any empty shampoo and conditioner bottle (from any brand) for a full size Ojon Damage Reverse Shampoo and Conditioner!

I absolutely adore this Ojon duo! In fact it was one of the first products I reached for after my recent hair disaster to reinvigorate and restore my hair and really can't give it enough credit :).

I would highly recommend taking advantage of this fabulous offer. Especially as you can be safe in the knowledge that  all returned packaging will be sent to Wastecare, where the packaging will be recycled or used for energy recovery.

Philip B Oud Royal Shampoo and Conditioner

Philip B's latest creation is the indulgent Oud Royal range that promises to transform all hair types.

Philip B Oud Royal Forever Shine contains time-released botanical hydrators, molecules tiny enough to pass through the fiber of hair and moisturize each strand from the inside out. 

This set promises to be perfect for reviving, defining and de-frizzing curls; creating sleek, swingy blowouts and plumping up fine, limp hair for lasting volume.

 

Key features include:

• An intensive hydrating complex treated with high-vapor energy – a new, patent-pending technology that breaks botanical oils into molecules tiny enough to sink deep inside the hair shaft. 

• Time-released botanical delivery system (made with natural Safflower Oleosomes) for major volume and a lustrous shine that goes on and on. 

• L-Amino Acids revive parched strands & tame frizz without weight. 

• Sweet Blue Lupine Peptides for superior color protection. 

• Pure Oud Essence for a rich, warm, sweet-woody scent. 

• Sulfate-free shampoo cleansing base with a rich luxurious lather for gentle and effective cleaning. 

• Safe for color-treated or straightened hair.  

The Oud Royal Shampoo and Conditioner both smell amazing and work hard to ensure hair is well nourished. The recommended use is to only apply the conditioner every other time you wash your hair as the shampoo is moisturising enough to be used on its own! As it is sulphate and sodium chloride free it doesn't lather as much as most shampoos, but that can easily be fixed by adding more water and massaging the scalp. I would highly recommend this for coloured hair as it is so gentle or as an indulgent treat for those trying to get the hair into perfect condition.

As with all Philip B products the price point is set high with the shampoo retailing at £60 and the conditioner at £70.


Do you indulge in hair care? Have you ever tried any products from the Philip B line? xxx

Incredible Ojon Offer!!

Starting 11th April you can receive a free full-size Volume Advance Shampoo & Conditioner (worth £37.50) with any £20.00 purchase online from Ojon! I am a big fan of Ojon products, especially their damage reverse range, so I highly recommend taking full advantage of this incredible deal!

All you have to do is enter the offer code VOLUME at checkout, and even postage is included.


Features and benefits of Ojon Volume Advance range:

· lifts hair up, fills it out

· cleanses and nourishes fine, flat hair

· provides texture, volume and body

· detangles and adds softness and shine


You can check out the full Ojon range here: http://www.ojon.co.uk/customer_service/whats_new.tmpl

My absolute favourites are the Restorative Hair Treatment and Serum.


Do you have any favourite products from Ojon? Will you be taking advantage of this offer? xxx

L'Oreal Hair Expertise Review and Competition

L'Oreal's new Hair Expertise range of premium, non-sulphate hair products has been designed to provide a gentle cleansing system with a myriad of botanical oils to nourish and protect even the most over processed hair. I was lucky enough to be invited to try out the range prior to its release and have been faithfully using it ever since!

If you want to be one of the first in the UK to try the range scroll down to the end for details of a competition to win 1 of 1000 full size shampoos and conditioners!

These non-sulphate shampoos and conditioners smell amazing and surprisingly lather really well to leave the hair feeling clean, smooth and silky. I am often wary of products that claim to be sulphate free as they can sometimes be difficult to use (due to the lack of lather) and can leave the hair very tangled and coarse. This range feels very gentle on the hair - foaming and being easy to rinse out - without leaving behind any unwanted residue.

The Hair Expertise collection is made up of a selection of shampoos, conditioners, serums, mists and masks grouped into three main categories:

• EverPure - Colour Care and Moisture/Smoothing/Volume, infused with rosemary, juniper and mint botanical oils. EverPure protects the hair's hydrophobicity making it more resistant to external aggressors, like water, which help to maintain colour vibrancy.
• EverSleek - Smoothing and Intensely Nourish/Moisture, infused with botanical sunflower extract. EverSleek is designed to combat coarse and frizzy hair and provide it with 48 hour anti-frizz protection.
• EverStrong - Reinforcing and Vitality, infused with rosemary and juniper botanical oils. EverStrong is designed for fragile and brittle hair to increase strength and leave it feeling full of life.

The lovely Chris Appleton (BBC3’s Young Hairdresser of the Year) from the L'Oreal Professionnel team was kind enough to assess my hair and recommend the right products to suit my slightly overprocessed, long, coloured and frizz prone locks. He said that despite all the abuse my hair was quite healthy and strong, but due to its length needed an extra infusion of moisture. He therefore recommended the EverPure Colour Care and Moisture range, which is designed to leave hair nourished, smooth, soft and shiny. I was then allowed to try the products straight away to see how they would work for my hair...

 The charming Chris and I after my wash and blow dry.

As you can see the shampoo and conditioner worked wonders on my hair leaving it smooth and soft, yet bouncy and full. I absolutely loved this range and have been using it ever since.

Given that the Hair Expertise range falls into L'Oreal's premium products I was pleasantly surprised at the price. The shampoos and conditioner retail at RRP £5.99, while the indulgent masks are £6.99, the UV filter protective mist is £6.99 and the serums £7.99.

Hair Expertise will be launching in Boots later this month. However, if you can't wait till then and want to be one of the first in the UK to try the range you can enter their Facebook competition here to win 1 of 1000 full size shampoos and conditioners.

Will you be entering the competition? What do you think of the new Hair Experise range? Do you look out for non-sulphate products for your hair? xxx

Shielo Hair

Anyone who has long hair will know that despite their best efforts in minimising damage long hair will be prone to dryness. Although I wouldn't say that mine is overly dry, the ends can feel a little brittle if they are not slathered in condioner, oils and serums. I was therefore excited to try a new shampoo and conditioner from Shielo designed to hydrate hair, without weighing it down or leaving it feeling artificially greasy through silicone build up.

The hydrate shampoo and conditioner are sulphate free and contain UV protectants and antioxidants from white tea to enhance colour protection. They are also infused with shea butter to add a protective moisture barrier to seal the hair shaft and hibiscus and vanilla cactus to help soothe the scalp.

The shampoo foams fairly well without leaving the hair overly squeeky clean, while the rich conditioner feels very luxurious on the hair. Both products smell absolutely amazing -  a warm, slightly sweet vanilla scent, which is good enough to eat! Used in conjunction they left my hair feeling soft and smooth, which made styling easier as there was less frizz than usual to contend with. However, I did find that I had to be careful not to use too much conditioner, especially if I wanted to retain the volume in my hair. As these products are deeply hydrating they can make your hair fall a little flat. I would recommend this range to those with long hair prone to dryness, or those with over processed, colour treated hair as it works hard to put much needed moisture and supleness back into your weary strands.

The Shielo Hydrate shampoo retails at $15.74, while the conditioner is $22.49 and both can be found on the Shielo website here.

Have you tried any products from the Shielo range? Do you suffer from dry hair? What products do you use to reverse damage by heat styling and colouring you hair? xxx

Current Haircare Favourites

I have been trying a number of new hair styling products recently and wanted to share some of my favourites with you!

Products mentioned:

• Liz Earle shampoo and conditioner (£8)
• Bumbe and Bumble Mending Conditioner  (£23.50)
• V05 Treat Me Right Intensive Conditioning Treatment (£4.28) 
• Pureology Super Smooth Smoothing Elixir (£14.85) 
• Aveda Smooth Infusion (£18.50) 
• John Frieda 3 Day Straight (£6.99)
• Aussie Take the Heat Cream (£4.69) 
• Osmo Blow Dry Potion (£4) 
• KMS California Quick Blow Dry (£9.50) 
• Tigi Bed Head Spoil Me Defrizzer (£8) 
• Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Rock 'N' Roll Extreme Hairspray (£8.56) 

I hope you enjoy the video and please do let me know your favourite hair products in the comments below! Thank you for watching my lovelies. :) xxx