Lush Snow Fairy!

I'm pretty surprised I haven't written anything up on this product yet because it's my all time favourite lush product. It's only sold for a few months of the year before disappearing again, leaving fans of this product crying. It is sold in 3 sizes:

• Small (100g)
• Medium (225g)
• Large (500g)

I can not remember the prices of these because they do change them every year (and the fact I haven't bought any since November 2013 - it's sold between October and January each year) but they generally range from around £3 (for the smallest) to £12 (for the biggest) if my memory serves me correctly. I usually end up buying a large bottle or two for myself to last me the year and family members always buy this product for me as well as it is in a lot of the gift boxes which are sold at Christmas time. I have been buying this product for nearly 4 years now (it may even be more than 4 years) and even when I smell it, it reminds me of Christmas. 

It's a very bright bubble gum pink in colour and smells fantastic. It smells like a sweet shop. A mixture between candy-floss and candy canes, just pure bliss. If that wasn't enough, there is also glitter in the bottle which just makes it look even more brilliant. A little bit of this product can go a long way. It can be used to wash your body but also your hair, and it lathers up really well.

If you haven't tried this product yet, you really need to! It is absolutely great and I will be buying some more as soon as it's back in shops. 

Re-Touching My Turquoise

So I posted a picture of my newly dyed turquoise hair the other day (Last Thursday I think) and I decided to re-dye it using the product straight from the tub rather than mixing with conditioner. I did this yesterday afternoon (in a mad rush before having to go somewhere) and it's looking a million times better now.

It's definitely much darker but for me it's more green than blue which I was hoping for. I am only keeping this colour through-out summer though, as I am hopefully going a reddish brown for autumn time. 

I would also like to apologise over the lack of posts yesterday and today. I was out last night so I had a very busy day yesterday and today I'm recovering...slowly. I will also be rather busy tomorrow but I shall try and get some reviews posted tomorrow afternoon before I have to go out.

Body Shop Rainforest Radiance

What it claims: Leave-in conditioner to soften, add shine and protect vibrancy of colour-treated hair.

Price: £6.50
Size: 250ml

Can be bought from:
http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/bath-body-care/haircare/rainforest-radiance-detangling-spray.aspx


My experience: I decided to try this product after seeing a YouTuber review it in her hair care video and as she has bright hair, I thought it may be a good idea to try out. The price shocked me as its expensive for what the product is, but knowing how good body shop products are, I decided to try it out. 

I usually apply this product after I have had a shower onto wet hair. I just spray the product into my hair and brush it through then dry as normal. I have also applied this product to dry hair but it can leave the hair feeling a little sticky now and then so I think in my personal opinion it is best to be used on dry hair. I find it difficult to spray any product out of the bottle if I try to spray it in certain angles. If it's held upright it is fairly easy but as soon as i flip my hair and try and spray underneath it, I have found this to be rather difficult. Whether this is because I am close to running out of it I am not sure. I have used this product for just over a year now and I am planning on buying it again when it runs out (which will be very soon). I am very tempted to try more of the Rainforest Radiance range as they also have a shampoo and conditioner.

Pro's

• Smells incredible
• Leaves hair feeling soft
• Great on the hair
• No silicone/Parabens

Con's

• Can leave the hair feeling slightly sticky
• Can be hard to spray in certain positions/product does not come out
• Little expensive

Would I recommend: I would recommend this product. Not only does it smell amazing, its really nice on the hair. It doesn't contain any silicone or parabens which means its also really good for the hair. The only off putting traits this product has is that it can leave hair feeling a little sticky if applied to dry hair and can be a little difficult to spray the product out of the bottle in certain positions. I think the price may be a little steep as well for this product, if it was more towards the £5 mark, I would definitely believe its worth the money but at £6.50 I think it's a little over priced.

Directions Turquoise and Directions Spring Green

I know I have said this before but this dye is amazing!!!

Price : £3.75 (I bought mine 3 for £10 from a shop in my town centre)

What I did: Prior to dying my hair, I spent a few weeks trying to lighten it as much as possible. Not only by using a bleach bath on my hair but also using an anti-dandruff shampoo to remove as much as the colour from the previous dying of red. I had lightened it to a pale orange but it would not lighten any more without just completely bleaching my entire hair and this was not something I wanted nor needed to do - even though they do recommend this. I knew how pigmented the green was going to be, same with the blue (though I had not used these colours on my hair before, I know sort of the pigment of these kinds of colours as I have used several of their blues in the past as well as the apple green). 

I diluted the turquoise to lighten it as I thought it may come out too dark with the ratio 1:1 (one part of the dye to one part conditioner). I had also lightened the green. I did a little strand test with the green on the end of my hair whilst I was waiting for my roots to lighten but I think it was diluted far too much as it just washed out completely, so I used the product straight from the tub instead. I separated my hair into two plaits as I was going to ombre it - turquoise being on top and the ends of my hair in the green. 

I applied the spring green to my ends first, undid the plaits then covered the rest of my hair in the diluted turquoise mixture. I left this on for around 20 mins. I did apply this to damp hair (which is okay to do so, though the dye works better on completely dry hair). When I rinsed it out, I noticed the green was very bright and the turquoise wasn't as bright as i though it was going to be so I shall be re dying my hair with the turquoise un-diluted next time. The final result looks like this: 

As you can see, the green is very much more prominent but the turquoise not so much so I will be re dying it very soon. I do love how the green came out though, very pigmented and very bright indeed. 

Pro's

• Good coverage
• Good price
• Very pigmented
• Leaves hair feeling soft

Con's

• WILL STAIN EVERYTHING POSSIBLE

WARNING: Make sure you wear gloves with these colours as they will stain your hands and skin. I am currently sporting blue finger nails as it had stained them because I didn't wear my gloves half way though because they had split. The dyes also stained my hands but after a lot of scrubbing, that disappeared. Expect to see a nail varnish review soon because I need to cover up my stained nails.

Would I recommend: Yes. Yet again, good solid product. I think this product is more likely to stain clothes, floors, surfaces and body parts if you don't take care much more than other colours I have tested. It is very pigmented and if you are looking to go bright green or turquoise then these are definitely the colours for you! I am rating this a 4.5/5 because of my blue fingers though as it will stain everything!

Bleach Bath! Jerome Russell

I will be dying my hair very soon with directions turquoise and spring green, but at the moment, my hair is a very orangey/pink due to the poppy red which I dyed my hair with a few months ago. I decided to do a bleach wash or bleach bath on my hair because it's less damaging than just putting bleach straight on to your hair (though all bleach on the hair IS damaging and should be done with extreme caution). I used the Jerome Russell peroxide in the 30vol and the bleach powder was also from this brand.

I mixed a little amount of both the peroxide and bleach powder together before adding shampoo. I add shampoo to the mix. I usually stick to a 2:1 ratio - half bleach to the amount of shampoo used. I then also added a little amount of my Aussie conditioner to add a little moisture to my hair and also to add a little protection to my hair. 

I left the product on for around 7 minutes as i only had enough bleach left to do the top of my hair (made a little mistake there as I didn't realise I hardly had any peroxide left). Usually, I would do my entire hair but I digress.

This is my hair before the bleach bath.

And after.

It has lightened it on top, but not as light as I will need it to be. On the ends it is still rather dark too so I will be doing another bleach bath soon to try and remove the rest of the colour from my hair in preparation to dying it. I really love the Jerome Russell peroxide and powder as it is relatively cheap as well as it's great for removing colour. (I will be doing a review on this product shortly)

Items bought today!

These are two items I will be trying out very soon. Both were picked up for £1 and I have never tried them before. I hope they are hidden gems and great products. Here's to hoping!

The first is Mellor and Russell's simply bright hair colour in electric blue. This product claims to be a permanent dye. Now, after dying my hair for several years now in various bright colours (I've basically gone through the rainbow and back), I've noticed bright colours don't really tend to be permanent, they have always been semi permanent. I have tried a bright permanent colour before which was a live XXL colour, in a very vibrant red...which came out orange and pale. Not pleasant at all. I've also had friends use products like these and they have come out very very dark and not what was shown on the packet.

The second is derma V10 rescue oil. This is a oil which I think may be similar to the bio oil which is for stretch marks and any damaged skin. I myself have damaged skin on my legs which is very dry due to heat damage. I have no idea f this product will have any effect on it 

I bought both of these products to day and I will be looking forward to trying them in the next week and letting everyone know my thoughts on both of them.

Argan Oil Hair Mask

What it claims: Argan Oil hair mask is enriched with proteins and keratin and infused with Argan Oil which is derived from the Moroccan Argan tree. Its moisturising properties help to revive and nourish dry and damaged hair. Argan Oil hair mask is an intensive treatment that helps rebuild strength and restore elasticity. Argan Oil hair mask is specially formulated to help improve texture and manageability, leaving hair looking healthy and shiny and can be used on all types of hair.

Price: £0.99

My experience: I used this product after bleach washing my hair as it was a little dry and needed a little TLC. The feel of the product itself felt very thick, and sort of waxy, but also very good quality for the price. I washed my hair with the Argan Oil shampoo (which is available in this range) and then towel dried my hair. I applied the product into my hair and then left it on for 15 minutes. The recommendation on the tub says to leave on for 7-10 minutes but I felt it may have needed to be left on a little longer. Putting the product on my hair, like I said, it didn't feel like a hair mask would, it did feel waxy and this put me off a little but as the price was really cheap, if it didn't work, I didn't feel like I was missing out.

When I rinsed the product off, it left my hair feeling really hydrated and soft. I then used my Aussie conditioner (Miracle Moist : Luscious long). The argan oil hair mask states it's best to use the argan oil conditioner, but I had not bought this product as I usually only stick to Aussie conditioner for my hair, however I do not think this changed the final outcome.When I dried my hair, it felt amazing! Really soft and lovely.

Pro's:

• Left hair feeling hydrated and soft
• Really good price

Con's:

• Felt a little waxy
• Had to use a lot of the product

Would I recommend: I would recommend this product to try out. The price is very reasonable and leaves hair feeling really soft. The only downside to the product is because it feels really waxy, I was not sure if my hair had enough product on so I applied a lot to my hair. I would recommend buying this product and trying it out yourself and it's really cheap and if its not suited to your hair, it's not a huge chunk of money wasted.

This product is available in the UK in shops such as pound land, body care and I think perhaps the 99p store. I picked mine up from body care as well as the argon oil shampoo. There are a few products in the argan oil range. If you are not from the UK, sites like EBAY sell this product, but be warned, some people are charging from around £3 for the hair mask, when it is not priced that over here.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Conditioner

What it claims: Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor is a deep conditioning treatment for dry and damaged hair. 3 Minute Miracle leaves hair looking and feeling healthy and shiny in one treatment.

Price: £4.99  (I bought these on offer from www.boots.com - 3 for £10)
Size: 250ml

Thoughts:
Label a little hard to remove
Smells really nice
Really thick consistency
Good quality
A little covers a lot
Leaves hair feeling silky
Really hydrating for hair

Would I recommend: 5/5 Hand down, great product. Leaves my hair feeling really silky and soft, the bottle of product goes a long way due to the consistency of the conditioner. It smells fantastic and the feel of it is really high quality. It's been a re-purchased every single month since I bought my 1st bottle of this product and I've been using it for over 2 years now. It's fantastic for damaged hair and hair that just needs that little extra love and attention. I seem to be recommending this product to everyone who has crazy coloured hair (like myself) these days but everyone always seems to agree. The price may be off putting to some, but a bottle of this product can last for at least a month or 2. I usually buy in bulk and www.boots.com always seem to have offers on on Aussie conditioner, whether it's 3 for £10 or 2 for £6. Great buy! 

Directions Tangerine

What is this product: Directions hair dye is a semi permanent dye. It is used for achieving non-natural, bright alternative colours.

Price: £3.75
Size: 88ml

My experience : I used this colour on top of my hair which has recently been dyed with the mandarin (around 2 weeks prior). I used it on dry hair and left it on for around half an hour. I used this product to try and achieve a bright orange hair colour, which the mandarin had failed to supply. 

Pro's

• Easy to use
• Good coverage
• Pot shaped so it's easy to get all the product
• Conditioning on the hair
• Bright colour
• Did not fade fast

Cons's

• Can stain surfaces

Would I recommend: I would definitely recommend this product. The colour came out really bright and vibrant, and lasted for just over a 6 weeks before needing to be touched up. With any directions dye, it can stain surfaces so laying down towels which you are not to fused about getting dye on is a must (unless you would like to have a multi-coloured bathroom). It left my hair feeling really soft as well. It's a must have colour if you are planning on dying your hair orange!

Directions Mandarin

What is this product: Directions hairdye is a semi perminant dye. It is used for achieving non-natural, bright alternative colours.

Price: £3.75
Size: 88ml

My experience : I used this product on bleached, dry hair. I completely saturated my hair with this colour and left on for around half an hour. When I washed it out, I was not too pleased with the colour as it wasn't as orangey as I had hoped, it was more dark/gold yellow than bright orange.

Pro's

• Easy to use
• Good coverage
• Pot shaped so it's easy to get all the product
• Conditioning on the hair

Cons's

• Not the colour I was expecting
• Faded really fast
• Not really as bright as previous colours I had used

Would I recommend: I would recommend this because yet again, its really conditioning on the hair and is really easy to use. I used one pot to cover half of my hair so it's definitely cost effective. I would not recommend this colour if you are wanting to go for a bright orange, but if you are wanting a more subtle, gold colour, then this is the one for you.

La Riche Directions Hair Dye Poppy Red

Price: £3.75 each
Size: 88ml

My experience: I used this on my hair whilst it was dry. My hair was not platinum blonde like they recommend but was still rather blonde. I found it very easy to use and to get from out of the tub with both my fingers as well as my tinting brush. The coverage was fantastic. I have long hair and just 1 1/2 tubs of this was definitely enough to cover and saturate my entire head. I left it on for around 20 minutes and rinsed it out. It took a while to rinse out but that was because I had completely saturated my hair with the product. Once it was washed out, I finished washing my hair with a little conditioner and then proceeded to dry it. I was very VERY happy with how the colour came out.


Thoughts:

• Easy to use
• Good coverage
• Didn't smell of anything
• Not tested on animals
• Left hair feeling soft
• Did not dry out my hair
• Can easily stain surfaces and clothes
• Easy to remove off skin

Would I recommend? 4.5/5 Yes! Yes! YES! I love this product so much. It's really conditioning on my hair, the coverage is fantastic and there is not really any smell to it. The pot is shaped so it is very easy to get every last drop out and they are very easy to clean and use again. The colour works fantastic on my hair and stays for a long time. It's easy to remove off my body if I forget to put petroleum jelly around my hair line and neck. The only downside is if it happens to fall onto any surface, it will stain that surface and is near impossible to remove so it's always best to put down a few towels you are not too fused about being ruined and wearing old clothes. 

Manic Panic Virgin Snow White Toner

What it claims: 

• Colors that Rock!® Guilt-Free Glamour™
• Cruelty-free cosmetics. Tested on celebrities not animals™
• Manic Panic® Hair Color is made from vegan ingredients and has the added benefit of conditioning the hair. 
• Manic Panic® Hair Color is PPD free! Ammonia-free and Peroxide-free!

Price : £9.99
Size : 4oz

My experience: I tried this product on bleached hair which had a lot of yellow tones in. I applied it onto dry hair and followed the instructions to the letter. It began to irritate my scalp a little and when it was washed out, it had left my hair feeling very dry and not pleasant at all.

Thoughts:

• Smell's a little like bleach so not very pleasant
• Nice consistency
• Good coverage
• Vegan
• Not tested on animals
• Reusable pot
• Did not work with my hair
• Shape of the pot

Would I recommend: 3/5 Yes and no. I think the price is too much for this product and other toners on the market are much cheaper and have worked better for me in the past than this one has. The smell for me is rather off putting as well. I would maybe recommend this product based on the fact it does have a good consistency and nice coverage, as well as the fact that it is not tested on animals and the pot it comes in can easily be rinsed out and reused. The shape of the pot too means you can get every last drop out.