Review: L'Oreal | EverPure No Sulphates | Shampoo & Conditioner |

L'Oreal Paris - Hair Expertise - EverPure Colour Care & Moisture - Shampoo & Conditioner - £6.29 each - 250ml

It takes me ages to use up shampoo & conditioner, so when I get the opportunity to try a new one I get really excited to choose something new. I was going to buy something expensive to treat myself, but on a whim I picked up this super affordable duo in Superdrug, as I adore the mask from the range.

I've rarely found a shampoo that cleans my hair without stripping it, but the Dazzling Colour and Moisture Shampoo is fantastic at cleansing properly while still nourishing every strand. The formula is quite thick, so I was worried it would weigh my hair down or cause it to become greasy more quickly, but this hasn't been an issue. In fact, my hair feels lightweight and lifted, while still moisturised. The conditioner is also a thick creamy consistency, enriched with rosemary and mint oils, which I apply from the mid lengths through to the end. It helps to detangle easily, and leaves hair soft and manageable. These are great at reviving old colour too and both products also have the same soft spa like scent as the mask that I adore. 

These encompass everything I look for in a shampoo & conditioner - colour protection, moisture and body. The range has most definitely won me round to sulphate free haircare and I would highly recommend for all hair types. 

Have you tried any sulphate free hair products? xxx

Review: OGX | Coconut Water Shampoo & Coconut Milk Conditioner

OGX - Weightless Hydration Coconut Water Shampoo £6.99 for 385ml - Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner £6.99 for 385ml

Over the past year or so I had heard good things about the brand OGX and so when looking for a new budget shampoo and conditioner at the end of last year I picked up two products from the Coconut range which sounded like they would be perfect for me. This was before my pledge to use more natural hair care products so these do contain sulfates.

Lets start with the Weightless Hydration Coconut Water Shampoo, which I'm afraid to say ruined my hair. For a few weeks now my hair has been looking and feeling really dry, frizzy and unmanageable and the colour has been looking very lack lustre and dull. I had no idea what was going on until I realised that the only thing I had changed in my hair routine was these products. 

I had high hopes for this shampoo because it sounded perfect -  coconut water appealed to me as it sounded hydrating yet light and it promised to transform 'dry and parched hair into silky shiny perfection.' When using this shampoo my hair felt very stripped and I had to use a lot of the conditioner to make up for this. However the conditioner couldn't do much to rectify it as whether I left it to dry naturally or blow dried my hair it would look so frizzy and dry and it actually started to make me feel really self concious! Due to this I have had to use a lot more heat styling when before I could leave my hair natural 90% of the time, which in turn creates even more damage. It did nothing whatsoever to hydrate or nourish my hair and actually made it more dry and parched than it was before. After switching to a much more nourishing shampoo, even after the first wash my hair was looking better. 

The Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner was again quite bog standard and was definitely not 'luxuriously creamy'. It smells good, although the scent doesn't linger on your hair, and it made my hair feel more soft after use in the shower but like I said above the effects didn't really last as soon as my hair was dry. 

Overall I think it's pretty safe to say that I wouldn't repurchase these and advise you not to waste your money either. It has put me off the brand and I'm not sure I would be willing to try any other products from the company. I am putting in an order to get this amazing duo from Paul Mitchell right now instead!

I would love to know if you have had a similar experience to me or have loved another range by OGX - let me know in the comments! xxx

All Used Up #11

Although I have a huge bag overflowing of empty products, I haven't managed to write one of these posts in months! I've been so good at using things up but maybe at my peril because now I have lots of products to write about. Today's mix includes some of my favourite skin care and hair care products along with bath and body.

001. Lush Twilight Shower Gel: This featured on my blog about a year ago and I have only just got round to using it up! It was a large bottle and I tended to use it for night time baths only due to the relaxing lavender and malt scents that feature in this shower gel. I love the dark purple gel which was flecked with silver glitter but the smell and consistency isn't one of my favourites. The shower gel isn't available any more but you can buy the Twilight bath bomb here. I probably wouldn't repurchase.

002. Origins Out Of Trouble Face Mask: Origins are fantastic for skin care and this mask is one of my holy grail items (as you can tell from me cutting the bottle to get every last drop!) It is a clay formula which dries hard, something that I like as it draws out impurities effectively. I preferred to use this on active break outs as it unclogged and calmed any redness. It is also fantastic at helping to regulate oil production. The Sulphur and Zinc Oxide does mean that this mask has a very powerful smell but it doesn't put me off at all. A definite repurchase.

003. Sanctuary Spa Relax Warming Sugar Polish: This was a random purchase but I ended up loving this body scrub. Sugar scrubs suit me best as they are the most abrasive but due to the blend of essential oils this wasn't too harsh and smelled wonderful as well. I loved the squeezy bottle as it made application in the shower super easy and the scrub was actually hot and stayed warm while you worked it into your skin. I would repurchase this product.

004. Dove Hair Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner: When thinking of the Dove brand I've always pictured body care or deodorant. However, the shampoo and conditioner from this range is super cheap and I had heard good things. I think for the price the conditioner was really good, it nourished the hair well without weighing it down at all and was a lot better than the normal bog standard conditioners you get in the chemist. I would repurchase this, although I find it hard to stay loyal to a particular brand. I would also love to try the hair mask from this range.

005. The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner: After receiving this in my stocking last year for Christmas I put it in my over flow bin of products and kind of forgot about it. Cue a skin melt down and I dug this out along with the tea tree face wash. I have to say this toner is amazing!! You need to shake it up really well to make sure the active ingredients are all mixed and there is alcohol included however this is great for blemished skin. I can feel it working, which may be superficial but is something that I like and it helps to aid the healing process and keep skin looking clear. I have already repurchased this.

006. Lush Butterbear Bath Bomb: This is one of the cheaper bath bombs Lush offer but one of my new favourites. The cocoa butter melts into the bath leaving skin super soft and nourished without feeling greasy and the smell is sweet yet not over powering. It is just the right size so you don't feel like you are wasting any product either. I think this is only a Christmas edition (you can get the larger and more expensive Butter Ball all year round) so I will definitely be stocking up on this.

Have you tried any of these products? What have you recently repurchased? xxx

P.S. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and are enjoying your boxing day!

Review: Paul Mitchell | Forever Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner |

Forever Blonde Shampoo* // £14.95 // 250ml // Forever Blonde Conditioner* // £14.95 // 200ml

My first encounter with Paul Mitchell was years ago as a teenager, when I got my first set of highlights at Stephen Way located on New Bond Street (a fab salon that I really recommend!) They used a few products from the brand on me which I then promptly bought myself, but after years of being a product junkie and testing out lots of different hair care I forgot about how much I liked Paul Mitchell. Luckily for me I got sent a few items after attending a fab event they held, two of which were the Forever Blonde Shampoo* and Conditioner*. Normally I can only really tell a difference between conditioners and styling products but after using these for around 2 months now I can tell you that both of these products have really impressed me. I wash my hair every 3-4 days and have used this particular duo every time, bar the time I use a purple shampoo with a deep conditioner which is normally once every two weeks. 

I love the packaging and the smell of both products, both of which have a slight purple tinge to them to help keep brassiness at bay without leaving a colour cast. The Forever Blonde Shampoo is actually really nourishing while lathering and cleansing effectively even though it is sulfate free, which surprised me as most shampoos leave my hair feeling quite stripped and I need a good load of conditioner afterwards to counteract this. I use this twice before moving onto the Forever Blonde Conditioner that is also sulfate free. I really love the consistency of the conditioner as it is quite thick but not heavy - kind of like a hybrid between a standard conditioner and a treatment. It makes it easy to brush out any knots and you don't have to leave it on for ages for it to leave your hair silky soft and smooth.

Both these products have been great at combating problems that traditionally come with having lifted or bleached blonde hair: colour fading, brassiness, weakness and moisture - by the addition of KerActive protein that binds to the hair to aid damage repair and safflower which delivers moisture and seals the cuticle of hair. Once these run out I would 100% repurchase them as they are the only every day shampoo and conditioner I've found so far that really make a difference to the quality of my hair. If you have blonde hair I highly recommend these!

What are your favourite Paul Mitchell products? xxx

All Used Up #5

There isn't too many products in the fifth installment of this series even though I have used up other things but have failed to keep them in order to write a post. I'm going to try a bit harder though to find somewhere safe to keep them as I think they are a great way to do mini reviews and enjoy reading other people's (link me in the comments if you have a recent post of your own!)

001. La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution: I've been trying out a few micellar waters to take off the excess of my make up before cleansing properly, which I used to do with face wipes before. This was one of the better ones I have tried but did not take up all of my make up so I wouldn't recommend cleansing with just this. It was nice in the mornings though to freshen up and left skin soft and without any residue. I'm not sure if I really 'get' the hype over micellar waters to be honest - I'm using a bottle of Bioderma which is supposed to be the best one on the market, so once that is all finished I think I will have formed my final opinion on this type of product.

002. Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub: This has been hanging around for a while so I was pleased to finish it. It is an effective scrub without being too harsh and a good scrub/cream ratio but it didn't blow me away. I am looking at other scrubs and ways in which to exfoliate my skin instead at the moment.

003. Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub: Another scrub, this time for the body. The scent of this is amazing: citrus and brown sugar combined together smells like Rowntree's fruit pastel lollies :) I'm a big fan of all things Soap & Glory and I am slowly working my way through their products but this particular scrub wasn't the best I've tried from them. As I said the smell was amazing so I am definitely looking into getting the shower gel of this range but the scrub wasn't scrubby enough for me and found that meant a lot of product was needed to get the desired results. Flake Away lasted a lot longer than this and I preferred the texture so it is still the top scrub for me!

004. Superdrug Blonde Colour Enhance Conditioner: Like the Simple scrub this has been in my bathroom for ages (I'm talking years) as I didn't really like it too much. I ended up using it for shaving my legs which it was good at but for its actual use I wouldn't repurchase.

005. Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush: Yet another dry shampoo as I always use this in between washes. I've never really tried another dry shampoo as these are cheap and do the job.

006. Tresemme Heat Defence Smooth Spray: I don't use any other products from this brand as I heard from hairdressers that it isn't actually good for your hair, but their heat protectant is lovely and I always repurchase it. It smells lovely, doesn't weigh hair down and lasts ages so is very cost effective too. My favourite aspect of this product is the spray function as it delivers a very fine mist. I've kept the bottle to transfer some other heat protectants that I've got to use up into as its the best spray I've found. A definite repurchase.

Have you tried any of these products? xxx

Review: Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner

£24.95 for 480ml

I received this in a beauty box and although I've heard Wen is a lovely brand which I would love to try, because it is meant to be cleansing I made the decision it wouldn't be the best thing to use on my colour treated hair. I've read that you can use it on coloured hair but I didn't really want to risk it. So instead I gave it to my boyfriend Matt to test out for me :) He has short coarse hair that needs moisturising but also uses a styling product called Dax Wax which is an absolute nightmare to get out properly, so I thought he would be a pretty good tester for this product!

Wen states that this is a 5-in-1 formula by replacing both shampoo and conditioner, deep conditioner, detangler and leave in conditioner. I love that it has no sulphates or detergents so they don't lather but instead clean your hair naturally. Here's what Matt had to say about it:

"So, to give you a little bit of background, I’m not the kind of guy who knows a lot about ‘products.’ I can’t really say that I used them on a daily (or even weekly) basis or even really knew the vast enormity of variety surrounding them until I met my girlfriend. I guess I’ve become something of a guinea pig, as a few weeks ago she gave me a shampoo/conditioner to try out. Wen by Chaz Dean,  (sweet almond mint) is described as a cleansing conditioner, eliminating that annoying halftime process of switching the shampoo bottle for a conditioner. Any product that reduces the amount of other products I have to buy and use gets a big plus in my books.

In terms of the product in general, I can honestly say this is the best shampoo I’ve ever used. My hair felt thoroughly cleansed afterwards, a great deal softer and most importantly became more manageable when I styled it afterwards. You don’t need much for it to have a real effect, and although it is fairly annoying waiting 3 minutes before rinsing off (especially if like me you’re not in the habit of taking a stopwatch into the shower with you), it scores very highly indeed. I can’t really compare it to much I’m afraid and as such attempting to rate it out of ten might seem a little pointless... but I’m going to do it anyway. With the double whammy of convenience and effectiveness on its side, I give Chaz’s Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner an 8.5 out of 10. A definite rebuy."

Have you tried this product before? xxx

Review: Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

When reviewing products myself and reading other people's reviews I'm a firm believer in 'what works for you, might not work for someone else.' This is very true when it comes to Philip Kingsley's Elasticizer pre-shampoo treatment, as there are many mixed reviews on this - it works wonders on some but others see no difference. I'm in the latter camp, which really disappointed me. As I highlight my hair I'm always on the look out for intensive treatments that really help the structure of my hair rather than just make it look better with silicones etc. I used this every time before washing my hair for the past 2 weeks and I havn't really seen much difference to be honest. I followed the instructions and wet my hair before use, sectioning it and applying it all through the midlengths and the ends where I need it most. I often left it for at least half an hour to let it get to work and then washed it out as normal, followed with my regular conditioner. However, for a 'super-moisturising' and 'intensive' treatment, my hair didn't feel especially silky, smooth or shiny or even 'elasticised' it just felt like I had put a normal conditioner on, not even a luxury one. 

I liked that it had UV protection in it but my regular shampoo and conditioner already have this so it wasn't a necessity. The product was also fragrance free which may be a big plus for some people, but for me it was a dissapointment. When using a luxury product, like I feel this is marketed, I expected a lovely fragrance especially when it is sitting on my head for so long. For the price for a full size tub (£26.25) I expected this product to work wonders and to really see a difference in my hair. Luckily, I bought a tester size tube from a recent blog sale and havn't ended up out of pocket as I would have been unhappy if I had spent the full amount on this. I much prefer my Aussie 3 Minute Miracle for Coloured Hair as it smells beautiful and I really feel a difference once I've used it. 

Again, I would stress that although this wasn't great for me it might work great for you so if you are still considering purchasing this I would recommend picking up a smaller size tube to test it out first before spending full price on it. Although this wasn't great for me, I wouldn't rule trying out other Philip Kingsley products as he is a well regarded name and it would be nice to find something that I could rave about. I will be finishing this tube at some point in the future, so expect a final update on this on an upcoming All Used Up post. 

Have you used this product before, and what did you think of it? What other Philip Kingsley products would you recommend? xxx

Holiday Heroes

Summer is upon us...or maybe not if British weather is anything to go by! Therefore, many of us seem to be jetting away to exotic far away places in order to enjoy some hot weather and a bit of sun. As you will all know from previous posts, I have just had a wonderful week away in Turkey and thought I would share some of heroic products I took on holiday that saved and protected my skin and hair. I am quite fair and have highlighted hair, so products that really help maintain the condition of both my skin and hair as well as protect it are really important to me.

L'Oreal expert Soar Sublime UV Protect Spray: I am in loooove with this product! I am so glad I invested in this as bleaching my hair means I have to take so much care to keep the shine and colour vibrant as well as maintain the softness and condition of my hair. Luckily, this product seems to do all of these jobs at once! It coats the hair in a 'light protective film' and left my hair feeling so soft and shiny, while still feeling like I hadn't got any product in at all. I used it on dry hair before I went out in the sun and then every time I came out the pool or felt I needed to use some more. It also has a beautiful summer scent of peaches - all around this is a must have if you have coloured hair and are going somewhere sunny! 

Sudocrem: This may seem a bit of a weird one and not essentially a 'beauty' item, however I think it is a bit of an unsung hero! It really helped with some sunburn by moisturising it effectively and healing it much quicker than with just a bit of aftersun. It is also good for if you get a few pesky blemishes that you want to banish!

Clinique Moisture Surge: I really love Clinique skin care but naturally have quite oily skin, so when I received this as part of a gift I didn't think I would get much use out of it apart from maybe winter when skin can get a bit dry. However, this was really great on  holiday when I got a bit sunburnt on my nose and forehead and this helped to stop it feeling tight and sore, as well as stave off the flakyness!

Aussie Miracle Colour Insurance Leave in Conditioner: Again, i loooove this product!! I normally use this in my standard hair routine on towel dried hair after washing, mainly because of the gorgeous scent of peaches (again! You can tell the scent of a product is a big deal to me!) However, I noticed it made a real difference on holiday because I was spritzing it on when I was in the sun on my wet hair every time after the pool. I think because I was using it a lot more than I normally would, my hair has become noticeably softer. To be honest my hair is in pretty good condition anyway considering I bleach it, but normally after shampooing I can feel it needs the conditioner. However, after using this every day it has left my hair feeling really nourished even after shampooing and so I think it is making a real difference to the quality of my hair. Overall, I think its just a really good product and will continue to use this every day to see if it lives up to what I've claimed!

L'Oreal expert Solar Sublime Aftersun Shampoo: This shampoo was amazing and I am so pleased I bought it! Again it had the peachy holiday smell (can you see a theme?!) and it made my hair soft and nourished. This product had it all really, the scent, the UV protection and I loved the fact it was formulated to get out salt and chlorine completely while still nourishing my hair so I felt like it was really clean without it being stripped. A definite must for holiday, especially because it was in a smaller bottle for travelling too.

Garnier Intensive 7 days Replenishing Lotion: This product was actually used after my holiday as I took a travel sized moisturiser with me to Turkey. I really love this for summer as it is light weight but really moisturising at the same time, so I didn't need a heavy body butter like I do in the winter as I get dry skin, especially on my legs. I also really like the scent, but I would like to try the one for very dry skin to see if it is an even better match for me.

L'Oreal Elvive Colour Protect Caring Conditioner: Another product from L'Oreal! This is my normal conditioner I use the majority of time I wash my hair and I really like it in conjunction with the shampoo to prolong my colour and I love the added UVA/B filters. I won't go into too much detail as I have already reviewed the shampoo which you can read here.

Have you used any of these products and what do you think of them? Are there any others you would recommend? xxx