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

The Lazy Girl's Guide to Good Hair

Hair! 

I'm not afraid to say it... When my hair looks good I feel great. 

Good hair just puts an extra spring in your step and makes you feel instantly more confident! However, I am the first to admit that I am super lazy when it comes to hair. I've never had a particularly high maintenance style, but my hair has always been long and with a mind of its own, so I have developed tricks over the years to keep it manageable, with very little effort.

After washing my hair at night I like to blow dry it upside down (for some volume) and sleep with it in a high, loose bun overnight.

I recommend using a clip rather than a hair tie as it doesn't create any unwelcome kinks. This prevents my hair from getting frizzy overnight, while retaining lots of volume and creating some shape. When I take it down in the morning it still looks full, but not quite as wild as it can be straight after drying.

Most days I tend to keep my style pretty natural and let the curls roam free. As my hair is long it is a little dry, so I try not to wash it too often in order for it to retain some natural moisture and prevent the colour fading too quickly.

 

Even though it doesn't get particularly greasy it can sometimes fall a little flat between washes. I'm all about the big hair, so my secret weapon in the mornings between washes is always dry shampoo.

V05's new Refresh Me Quick and Plump Me Up dry shampoos smell absolutely amazing and leave the hair full of volume and bounce (RRP £3.49, available in major supermarkets and chemists from April)!

Once the roots are sorted I like to add a little gloss and tame the frizz. Depending on how long it has been between washes I will use either a refreshing, moisturising spray or a slightly heavier serum or oil. The sprays I am currently loving are Bed Head Spoil Me, which is great at banishing static and frizz (£11.25).

For lustrous impact I have really enjoyed using Scandalous Luminous Shine Finishing Spray (£3.49) to add some gloss and lustre to my hair.  It also has quite a strong, spicy scent that's great for refreshing your hair.

For third day hair that really needs taming, or if I have styled it and it's starting to look a little dry I run a serum through the ends to add shine and smoothness. I have recently been using the Tre Semme Split Remedy Sealing Serum (£5.50), which has a lovely light texture that doesn't weigh hair down and reduces the appearance of split ends. 

Alternatively I may use a tiny drop of oil such as pure argan oil or  Shu Uemura Art of Hair Essence Absolue (£39.50), which smells amazing and leaves hair super silky!

It seems like quite a bit of effort when I write it all down, but I tend to rely on one or two products instead of using heat and never spend longer than a few seconds on my hair in the mornings. I wish I could be a 'wash and go' kind of girl, but unfortunately not all of us are blessed with a natural, beautiful mane of hair ;).

Do you spend much time on your hair? What are your hair secrets and tips? What products do you rely on to keep your hair looking fabulous? xxx

Winners: John Frieda Luxurious Volume Giveaway

Thank you all so much for entering my recent John Frieda giveaway! 

 The five lucky winners are:

• Nat (Seville oranges)
• Catriona - meltdown30@gmail.com
• Francesca (Freddie, Food, Fashion and Fun...)
• Lai Wah - ell.dubbleyu.tee@hotmail.co.uk
• sweet_diosa

Congratulations my lovelies!

Please e-mail me (filthygorgeousmakeup@gmail.com) at your earliest convenience with your UK postal address so that your wonderful prizes can be sent out to you ASAP! xxx

New from Batiste...

This Summer Batiste is doing something new... new packaging, new products and a larger size can!

I'm a huge fan of Batiste and use it every couple of days to stretch my style that little bit further in between washes. Since my hair is long I try to wash it every 3 days to keep it healthy and dry shampoo is indispensable for adding that little bit of extra volume on the third day ;). My favourite is the 'hint of colour' medium & brunette, which also works well at hiding roots!

Since I go through product pretty quickly I was excited to see that Batiste have now launched a 400ml can - twice the size, with about 20 applications, but less than twice the price (£2.99 for 200ml and £4.99 for 400ml)!

Batiste has also welcomed a new recruit to their existing range - XXL volume. This version of Batiste helps to add texture and lift to limp hair, while refreshing it and banishing oily roots. Great for use on the go, and much better for your hair than incessant backcombing, I can't wait to give it a try!

What are your favourite products from the Batiste range? Have you tried the new XXL volume? xxx

Introducing... Batiste Tones

When I was told that my beloved Batiste Brunette was to be phased out I almost panicked. I have tried many a dry shampoo, but this has always been a favourite. Dry shampoo is a hair essential due to its versatility and speed in adding texture, volume and making third day hair presentable again. So let me introduce you to Batiste's latest offering... Tones.

The three tones - light, medium and dark are designed to blend with all hair colours. Initially I was unsure of which would be most suitable for my hair, so I was sent both the medium and dark to test out. Prepare yourself for probably the most hideous swatches to have ever been shown on a beauty blog ;).

As you can see dark is a deep, rich brown/ black, while medium is a warm toned brown. Medium works perfectly on my hair, but I think it would also suit red hair pretty well. As with all Batistes a little goes a long way, so the colour is not as visible as above, and I could easily use the dark too. The application with the tones is the real selling point as there is no white powder left behind that has to be disguised. Spray and go!

Have you tried the new Batiste tones? xxx

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