Paul Mitchell Lavender Mint Hydrating Shampoo, Conditioner and Body Bar

Hello! 

Recently we went to a gorgeous event thanks to Salon Success, they took us out to Porro in Cardiff for an amazing meal and we went home with a lovely selection of goodies.

Knowing my love for deep hair treatments they gave me a great set specifically for hydrating hair, and even better it smells of lavender and mint!

Marula Oil Rare Oil Replenishing Range: Shampoo and Conditioner

Hey All

A few weeks ago L and I headed to an event with Salon Success and were given some products to test out.

One of these is the Marula Oil Range. Marula oil is harvested in Africe and cold-pressed to help maintain the nutrients of the oil. The Marula Oil used has up to 50% more protective antioxidants than Argan Oil. It helps to hydrate, repair and moisturise the hair.

We both dye our hair so anything that helps improve the condition and hydrate it is always a win for us!

The packaging is simple but works, white and black with gold accents. I also love that it's a pump top as it just makes it easier to use in the shower.

The shampoo really lathers up well which is great as it's also sulphate free. Some sulphate free shampoos just don't have the same lather. It leaves the hair clean but what impressed me the most is how soft my hair felt after just the shampoo. My hair is bleached and regularly dyed and not in the best condition. It usually feels horrible without conditioner but after using this I was impressed how untangled my hair felt with the shampoo alone. The conditioner really added to it and just left my hair feeling so soft and more manageable. It's also surprisingly lightweight. I always expect a moisturising conditioner to be thicker but this is lovely.

Overall I'm totally impressed, my hair feels softer and in better conditioner since I've started using it.

The Marula Oil range is available from Paul Mitchell Salons, you can find your nearest salon here.

Love L and M

xxx

Aussie Miracle Moist Leave In Conditioner

Good morning lovelies!

After tweeting recently to vent my despair at my dry hair the lovely Sasha from Ramblings of a Beauty Bird suggested I try the Lightweight Conditioning Spray from Aussie. Aussie is one of my favourite hair product brands as I'm totally obsessed with the 3 minute miracle conditioner.

I went to Boots asap and picked it up in a 3 for £10 deal!

They have a few products in the range of conditioning sprays, there are five in total including Miracle Recharge Shine, Miracle Recharge Colour, Miracle Recharge Luscious Long, Miracle Recharge Take The Heat, and lastly Miracle Recharge Moisture.

I chose the Moisture version as my hair has been so dry, although I have long hair I thought dowsing it in a leave-in conditioner with extra moisture would be a good start.

The spray is 250ml and contains Australian Macadamia Nut Oil which I assume helps to hydrate your hair, though it isn't very clear what it does. It also contains Panthenol (nicknamed the beauty vitamin) and helps to make your hair more manageable.





I've been using this for a few weeks now and my hair does feel better than usual when I use it. The spray is more of a spritz than a fine mist, but it doesn't dispense product into your hair in a dollop, it is fairly well spread.
This is something I'm always aware of, having dark hair means that it can look greasy really easily if you put too much product on even though you have just washed it, massively annoying!

I recently also posted about the Bumble and bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Protective Primer and although normally I am happier to go with the high street range - most expensive products do nothing for my hair - this time the Bumble and bumble product wins when my hair really needs help.

The Aussie Leave in conditioner sprays costs £4.99 each and normally they are on off at 3 for £10 and so very worth it! I use these most times I wash my hair, but on the odd occasion my hair is feeling like straw nothing will help it apart from the Bumble and bumble spray, so I still stand by that one being the best, but I save it for emergency situations!

Do you use Aussie products? Have you tried their Leave In Conditioners?
What would you recommend for an alternative?

L xxx

You Beauty Box

Hey all!

We've both been buying lots of similar things recently so we're back in the swing of writing double posts, we hope you like them!
Today's double review is the You Beauty box. Each box is limited edition and you get a choice each month of two products. You also get some products added in for free, and all this comes for just £6.95 delivered to your door - amazing!

This month we both couldn't resist and signed up mostly because Sasha from Ramblings of a Beauty Bird basically told us to, she is such an enabler!

It was nothing to do with the fact you could get a full size Illamasqua lipstick in a beautiful matte blood red finish for less than half of the normal £18.50 price tag.



Not only that there was also a travel sized version of Dove's Advanced Hair Series Youthful Vitality Shampoo and Conditioner - perfect for L now she's travelling a lot with work.

And also a lovely snack of a Nakd bar. We're big fans of healthy snacks and these are gluten, wheat and dairy free containing only cold pressed fruits and nuts and are normally around 100 calories, they're also perfect to take around with you in your handbag when you need a boost on the go.

This box was dedicated to the Best of British and came with a card to detail each of the products inside. We both chose the same this month, the Illamasqua lipstick and also the Good Things Manuka Honey Face Mask which L has been lusting after for a while. 

We both think this is such good value for £6.95 even without the lipstick. The lipstick is a beautiful bold red that would suit most people and is totally worth the £18.50 price tag for the pigmentation and finish.



Here it is on. The shade that comes in the box is Sangers which is still available to buy. It's matte but glides on easily doesn't dry out the lips and literally lasts all day.

The other products in the box are really generous sample sizes which is great as you will get to use them more than once like you would get with a sachet. It definitely seemed too good to be true. It's a great alternative to more expensive boxes and you get to choose two products each month you want to receive and then get extra ones thrown in or you can cancel for that month.

Have you tried You Beauty box? Do you think £6.95 is a much better price for a beauty box?

Who doesn't like receiving presents in the post?!

L and M xxx

Korres Coloured Hair Shampoo and Conditioner

Morning!

I seem to rarely buy or try hair products, I'm quite lucky that my hair is quite pliable and does what I want it to without much hassle. however it has become very dry after a long summer and lots of highlights. I've been dying it back darker recently and hopefully less of the stripping effects of highlights will also help, but after seeing these Korres shampoo and conditioner on offer at 2 for £10 at Waitrose I snapped them up for a try.

I chose the set for coloured hair containing Sunflower and Mountain tea.

The designs of the bottles are quite simple and standard, its a little confusing to have so many languages on the bottles but it's an international brand and I don't see why more brands shouldn't do this. Although the bottles are standard in design they do feel quite substantial so they won't break easily if you drop them in the shower, like I seem to do all the time!



The shampoo feels quite thick to use on the hair and lathers up easily, this is probably due to SLS being present which is confusing again as Korres are a 'free from' brand and do not use many chemicals that other brands do. Having said that, my hair felt clean but not 'squeaky' and it didn't matt together which it can do with shampoo that is drying.

I can't comment on it's colour protection as mine has faded since being dyed anyway, as it will with blonde hair being changed back to dark brown! But my hair did feel clean and I'd use it again.

The conditioner was also very nice, it was hydrating and felt thick and moisturising on the hair and scalp. My hair felt a lot smoother and silky after drying so it clearly works and I've enjoyed using it.

I also like that Korres list on the sides for each product what the formula facts are including everything that it doesn't contain and who it is catered for.

Having said all of this....finding out that at full price these products are £10 each I wouldn't say that these were worth that. The 2 for £10 was a great deal and I've enjoyed using them as a treat, but I couldn't justify spending £10 on them each as they're just no different to a lot of other shampoo and conditioners that I've tried.

Have you tried products from Korres? What is your favourite? 

I've heard their lip butters are amazing but I've got so many eos spheres to get through at the moment I don't need any more!

L xxx

Lidl Goodies

Good morning!

Today's post is about some bargain treats that I picked up from everyone's favourite cheap food store....Lidl. Their beaut stock is always a hit and miss, shambles of an area but I've been seeking out some hidden gems in the hair products and felt I needed to share these.



I picked up the Oz Botanics Deep Conditioner and the Macadamia Oil Extract Conditioner both of which were £1 each, absolute bargain.

First up under scrutiny was there Oz Botanics deep conditioner:



First off you can't go wrong with a huge post of what is essentially a hair mask. I dived right in with this one as my hair has been looking a bit nasty recently; highlights, a bit of sun and general wear and tear on my long locks have begun to take their toll.

I jumped in the shower and scooped a load of this onto my head, left it for a few minutes whilst showering and scrubbing before rinsing it out.



It sounded so promising; 'manage dry and damaged hair by smoothing split ends and roughened cuticles'

Sadly this was not the case. After applying this to my hair and rinsing it out the product felt quite thick and sticky on my hands, and my hair just felt coated rather than hydrated.

Even after extra rinsing and drying my hair as usual it felt coated and so I can't say I'll be rushing to use it again! It was worth a try for £1 but this would be a miss from me.



My second pound purchase was the Macadamia Oil Extract conditioner, and I tackled this one with a little less enthusiasm than the first but was pleasantly surprised.





The packaging on this one was a little more inventive and decorative but definitely cheap, the wording was hard to photograph as it was so shiny and the writing was stretched but never mind eh!



After using this a few times my hair has felt nourished and revitalised somewhat and feels considerably better than when I used the deep treatment. I've been using this every time I've washed my hair for the last few weeks and haven't experienced any build up so this was the obvious winner of the two for me.

For £1 for each it's worth buying a few things to try even if they're hit and miss! I've not seen these products in my local Lidl since so they were probably the last few palettes in a job lot, not surprising really!

I think Aldi have a more steady product range in the beauty department and having tried out their skincare before I will have to venture into their hair care too as Lidl seems to be a bit of a gamble......but who doesn't like a bit of risk eh??

Have you tried either of these products? Do you have any recommendations for bargain products from Lidl or Aldi? Or anywhere else for that matter!


L xxx

Label.M Thickening Shampoo, Conditioner and Cream*

Hi all.

Hope you've had a great weekend. Mine has been a stressful one after I stupidly left my purse on the bus meaning yesterday morning was spent cancelling all my cards. I was lucky it was handed in untouched so I'm now just cardless for a few weeks while it gets sorted as in the mess of moving I hadn't changed addresses on a lot of my things making one big mess!!

Anyway onto today's post. We are both big fans of big hair. I love the big volumised wave look. I'm always want the volume people like Kate Middleton and Cheryl Cole have. My hair is personally thin and rather damaged at the moment due to dying it way too much over the past few months.

We were asked if we fancied trying the new Label.M thickening range*. We both couldn't wait to try this after both falling in love with previous Label.M products such as the protein spray and honey and oat shampoo and conditioner.

I love that the packaging on this range and the bright red makes it really stand out in the shower. The shampoo and conditioner are a standard 250ml and the thickening cream is 100ml.

As soon as these arrived I hopped in the shower to test them out. The shampoo lathered up well and the conditioner felt good in the shower and made my hair less tangled and surprisingly I haven't noticed my hair falling out with this set. (very few shampoos and conditioners do this).

When drying my hair I did notice a downside. As someone who has over processed their hair mine did feel dry and I think it was missing a conditioner that added moisture to it. With that aside though my hair definitely felt bigger and held volume better and for longer. I've been using a hot air brush a lot lately and after using this range of products it was easier and volume stayed better at the roots.

As my hair condition isn't great at the moment I'll be using these before a night out. They are perfect for easier styling and making styles last longer.

Love M

xxx

Hello! I've been using this set from Label.m over Christmas and have been absolutely loving it.

First of all let me just mention how gorgeous the packaging is, I do love the simple shape of the products and the bright red colour is gorgeous and looks high end. Next, the product itself is actually pink!

Who doesn't love a pink product!

The shampoo lathers up so easily and the conditioner is great for adding moisture into my hair. The thickening cream is also a lovely addition and doesn't seem to weigh down my hair at all.

I have been blessed with hair thats a little contradictory. It is fine and very long, however it does have certain parts which have really thick hair which generally baffles hair dressers but most of the time it's easy to manage and for that I am grateful!

I am always looking for bigger hair and being a fan of the Megan Fox waves that I continually strive towards and never seem to quite get it right, I was hoping this would help me out.

I found after using all three products together that my hair was definitely bigger and had a lot more volume than it did before. Unfortunately I was ill over the Christmas period and didn't have any big plans for NYE so I am yet to try out the vintage waves whilst using these products but hopefully I will get to use them soon.

I really liked using these products and they definitely had the desired effects. However after using them for 2 weeks non stop I have found that they do dry my hair out slightly, maybe its due to the weather and constant air conditioning in work also but I think i will keep these for Saturday nights out when the full effects will be necessary as I have to keep my hair tied back for work.

These retail from Label.m here and the prices for each product ranges from £12.25 to £15.25.

I would definitely recommend them for the times when your hair needs a boost for an occasion as they worked great on my super long hair.

Have you tried the thickening range? Have you tried anything else from Label.M?

L xxx

   

Mane 'n Tail Conditioner

Good morning!

I hope your new year has started off with a bang, I'm going hard at the gym for the next few weeks to kick start my health regime and up my fitness ready for a long list of challenges set out for this year.
Aside from that work has been so quiet I've spent all my time cleaning and moving boxes...full of paper! My shoulders and back were absolutely killing afterwards!

During my shopping trip in Liberty at the beginning of December I picked up a product that has probably made it onto many blogs over the past year but I hadn't managed to get my hands on it.

The Original Mane 'n Tail Moisturizer is a conditioner originally created for horse hair.
That's right..................horses.

Why on earth would you want to use horse conditioner I hear you think?
Well not only is this a horse conditioner but also a conditioner for humans and a leave in conditioner.

It has been recommended by many a woman for its hydrating properties and ability to help keep long hair in good condition and grow longer.

The conditioner is in a white plastic bottle with a yellow and blue label on, not the normal type of packaging for a product that catches the eye of bloggers and beauty journalists.

They claim this is an exclusive thick, rich formula to achieve longer, healthier looking hair by working 5 ways;
1) Conditions and fortifies hair
2) Helps prevent hair breakage and split ends
3) Natural oils to prevent scalp flaking
4) Moisturising against environmental effects
5) Keeps hair tangle free

All this for only £7 for 335ml which is almost 100ml bigger than your average bottle.

Having used the conditioner over the winter months when my hair was feeling rather awful, I can safely say that this product is pretty handy. It does not overload my hair whatsoever and leaves it feeling soft and manageable, it does fight tangles which I suffer with a lot with my very long hair and it is generally in a much better condition.

I would consider repurchasing this again in future once I've worked through some of my stash. I've got rather a lot to be working through for the time being but I'd recommend this to anyone with long hair that needs a boost over the colder months.

Have you tried the Mane 'n Tail range? What did you think of using a horse product?

L xxx

Christmas Shopping.....For Myself

Let's all be honest here, it's pretty damn hard to go shopping at any time of year without picking something up for yourself let alone at Christmas time.

I'm a very big fan of the 'one for you, two for me' mantra and as I missed out on an advent calendar of any kind (not jealous at all....) I have seemingly bought myself a product for each day instead....now who's winning eh?!

Here's a quick photo montage of things I've picked up, what deals were on, whee you can get them and how much you need it!






The Latest in Beauty box - The Glamour Beauty Edit.

This was £14.95 from here (plus p&p) and worth every penny. With £65 of goodies in this box not only is it a bargain but a lovely gift and if I bought for friends I'd definitely get one as a Secret Santa gift!

They're limited number I think but still available when writing this post :)





Lancome mascara set from Boots was snapped up in a triple points offer as I'm yet to try a premium beauty mascara and thought a set was the perfect opportunity!

The Mane and Tail Conditioner for human and horse hair was a surprise find in Liberty when I went to London (see posts here and here). I've heard a lot and couldn't resist picking it up, it's a yellow colour and smells pretty good all for £7!







I went on a nail spree too....oops!
The Maybelline Color Show Brocades were a random buy but they're so glittery I couldn't resist them on 3 for 2 as well.

Essie are one of my favourite nail brands and their Luxeffects collection hasn't escaped my notice. The pink was bought individually but the blue and silver glitter were bought in a set. Guaranteed a post will be up soon!





Lastly I had a bit of a spree in Origins. The above 2 pictures show products bought at the same time; in John Lewis they had 15% off to match Debenhams prices and luckily for me still had a Morning to Midnight set of Ginzing related goodies for me to try out! At £34 I really couldn't leave it behind after one of the products retailing at £35 so it was super savvy to pick it up at 15% off.

I also picked up their Sensory Therapy in Peace of Mind because my mum uses it for her headaches and I've found it works amazing on me too. This is normally £13 but I got it for just over £10 which for me is much better than taking tablets for headache as I get them regularly with stress.

As I bought 2 products I also received a free goody set which was another reason for going there. They always seem to have deals on at Christmas where you can receive a few products in trial size to test out and this was so cute!





I picked the Best Brighteners as I really want to try the skin illuminating cleanser.

Not only that, my last item was also my final item in my Boots triple points internet order (along with the Lancome mascaras) and was the Merry Moisturisers set.

I'm a huge fan of the Make A Difference range and I know I will use all of the products in this bundle. For £29 from Boots (currently half price) where the moisturiser is normally around £34 you cannot go wrong!

I've definitely overspent this year.........my own present buying has been a little off the charts but let's be honest its only Christmas once a year!

I cannot resist the bargains and have gathered myself a whopping £15ish in Boots points from the triple points and 500 points vouchers. I didn't need most of the products but I'm now in the frame of mind where I will use everything up and I've been getting through my stash quite well recently so fingers crossed I haven't overindulged too much....


Only time and my bank balance/credit card bill will tell!


What have you been buying yourself recently? Have you been snapping up bargains in the Christmas sales?

I can't believe there's this many bargains BEFORE the Boxing Day sales, think I'll have to give my mum instructions to hold me back when that time comes......

L xxx