Beauty: Neuro CTRL Hair Care

Hey All

If you're a regular follower of ours you'll know we are lucky enough to be part of the Styling Society and get to try out some of the amazing Paul Mitchell products. You can see the beautiful marble straighteners we're in love with and our favourite range the Marula Oil range reviews here.

We've both been meaning to share out thoughts on this range for the past month but if you've seen on twitter lately we've both been super busy this past month.

Marula Oil Light Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Hey all

Sorry so long for a post, L and I have both been super busy with L having her bathroom done and I'm six weeks into a massive change in my house which essentially leaves me living in a building site regularly trying to do work on the house and sometimes left without electric etc!

Anyway today's post is a review I've been wanted to share for weeks, the new Marula Oil Light range (we first shared the original range here which we both loved and shared the styling range here, the hairspray has been a total game changer for us both!) The Marula Oil range is so good at leaving my hair feeling in such good condition.

The Body Shop Banana Shampoo and Conditioner

Hey all

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now. Whilst wondering past The Body Shop store in Cardiff a few months back I saw an offer where if you bought a shampoo you got the conditioner free, I hadn't actually tried any hair products from The Body Shop so decided to test them out (I have the hair scrub now too which I can't wait to try!)

Since going Cruelty Free I've almost rediscovered The Body Shop as a brand and I'm totally in love with so many products, and obviously I've convinced L too (you can find all of our reviews on The Body Shop Here and Here)

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

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

A5 Argan+ Deep Repair Shampoo

Morning lovelies!

I've been slacking off on the Fitness Fridays posts so i apologise for that. My creations haven't been worthy of a recipe post and my routine is pretty much the same as the last update, but i will have a post for next week for sure!

My mum has been into shopping at as many supermarkets as possible recently, trying to get the best deals etc. As a little treat she's been picking up all manner of products from the beauty aisles of everywhere from Asda, Aldi and Waitrose. This has of course been great news for me, fun products to play with that are extremely affordable and I haven't had to spend a penny...winning.

I've recently started using one of the shampoos that she has picked up and this one is from Waitrose, it's the Argan Plus Deep Repair Shampoo.

First off let's talk packaging....bright blue is a total surprise from normal packaging and it was quite refreshing to see it. i do love simple packaging like NSpa or girly like Soap and Glory and monochrome like Label M. I'd always choose one of those but actually the colours go well and I've quite liked having the blue bottle on display.

This shampoo will set you back £5.99 for the 300ml. I think this is a perfectly acceptable price for a shampoo from a higher end supermarket. Waitrose do generally stock good quality products at reasonable prices so you know you can trust them.

This claims to cleanse, enhance and revitalise hair that is dry and damaged leaving it softer and shinier. This obviously contains Argan Oil and helps to restore strength, but it also contains an amino acid blend to help cleanse without stripping the hair.

Keratin and Baobab oil help with moisturisation to make hair more manageable, smooth and shiny (who on earth doesn't want that?!)

Argan Plus is particularly good as it contains 4 extra oils; Baobab, Kukui, Moringa and Sacha Inci none of which I have ever heard of before but they allegedly were added for their restorative and nourishing properties.

I've been using this for the last 2/3 weeks and have even used it to double cleanse. It's a lovely shampoo which you don't need much of and I've been impressed with how it has cleansed and also nourished my hair.

I'd definitely consider repurchasing this and also other products from their range and will definitely check it out next time I go to Waitrose. 

The only downside to this that I can see is that in contains Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, one of the sulfates that many don't like but is also even more drying than the Sodium Lauryl Sulfates (SLS) that everyone definitely knows about.

This is disappointing and I think maybe with long term use there would be some negative effects but I haven't seen any yet.

Have you tried any products from Argan Plus?

L xxx

Philosophy: Birthday Girl set

Morning campers!

Ooh that sounded happy and chirpy didn't it!

Today's post is on a gift I had from my mum last year for my birthday (FYI almost a year ago....eek!) so I decided it was about time I got my act together and wrote about it as it's such a lovely set.

First of all, who doesn't love a Philosophy gift set? Everyone goes mad for them at Christmas, they have some stunning collections and I always see people going crazy for them in the sales afterwards too.

Their packaging design is unlike anyone else's and I think they're really pretty; the balloon pattern and the bow on top is so cute!

You can see on the side of the box the contents of the gift set; Vanilla Birthday Cake shower gel, bubble bath and shampoo; and Vanilla Birthday Cake lipgloss.

Onto the main star of the show! The Vanilla Birthday Cake is a 240ml bottle of a multi purpose product. Philosophy are famous for this and their design. I love that the front of the bottle contains a recipe for a vanilla birthday cake, its so simple but fun and I'd love to know if it actually works!

This smells really luxurious and sweet, it has a very warm and comforting smell like warm cake from the oven does. It is very creamy and rich and so a little does go a long way, but I did find it hard to get the product out of the bottle as it was quite stiff and as the product is so thick it doesn't move very fast!

The lip gloss is a nice touch to add to a Birthday themed gift; who doesn't love a shiny lip on their birthday!

This looks to be a gold glittery gloss but actually comes out as a clear shimmery gloss. It is perfect to wear on its own and over other lipsticks and will give any look that little something extra.
It is SUPER shiny and I really love wearing it over a red lip like MAC's Russian Red or Kate Moss 107.

This was a lush present to recieve and I've since recommended my mum get it for many other people she knows and they've all loved it too.
This gift retails for £18 and can be found on their website here or at Boots. As I said previously they have updated the packaging to a more grown up blue and yellow design which is just as pretty.

Have you tried many Philosophy products? Which is your favourite?

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

   

Everyday Favourites: Hair Products

Last week I shared my everyday make up favourite (you can read them here). Today I thought I'd share my hair products I always use.
Label.m Protein Spray* (review)
This is something I've loved since I first tried it. It's a lightweight spray that has helped improve my hair and it seems to grow a quicker while using this in combination with other products listed. This is something I'll be repurchasing. I've had it since July and use it every time I wash my hair and as a heat protection spray. I love that it's multifunctional.
Sebastian Penetraitt Shampoo and Conditioner (review)
This is my go to shampoo and conditioner. I can't be without it. As someone who majorly abuses their hair with lots of heat and dye (I'm such an indecisive person and my hair takes the brunt of it). This is the only shampoo and conditioner that helps to control my hair falling out. It can be too heavy so I tend to alternate between this and others. It's a must for damaged hair though.
Macadamia Deep Repair Masque (review)
After trying this in my hairdressers a few years ago I've always gone back to it when I can afford it. It makes my hair super soft and smooth. I tend to use it once a week. Definitely worth the money. I've not found one that compares.
Avon Advance Techniques Moroccan Argan Oil Leave in Treatment
This is my go to hair oil though since discovery protein spray and the strengthen and protect leave in treatment below I've not been using it as much. It's a really reasonable price and does a good job. It's lighter than most I've tried so doesn't weigh my hair down. A great hair oil. I sometimes like to use this as an overnight treatment if I'm going to wash my hair in the morning.
Avon Advance Techniques Strenghten and Protect Leave in Treatment
This and the protein spray are what I apply to wet hair. I love the combination of these too. My hair feels soft and smooth. It helps my dry ends and has improved the condition of my hair. It's a lotion/gel texture and has taken over from hair oils for me. I didn't expect to find a product like this I liked more than hair oil. This is now a must for me.
Are any of my hair must have products on your list?
Love M
xxx

Review: Area H2O

Hey lovelies

Thought I'd do a double post for you today as I've just got back from staying at my parents so I've had a chance to try out a product I was sent again.

Whenever I visit or stay at my parents house I find my shampoo and conditioner leave my hair feeling dry and not as clean. It always gets dirtier quicker too. When I saw some tweets about Area H2O I was instantly intrigued. Area H2O have looked into the minerals that are more abundant in the different types of water and how they effect the way shampoos and conditioners work with these minerals present. 

Area H2O have developed a range of shampoos suitable to the type of water you have. These shampoos have been formulated to remove the mineral deposits which are left in the hair from reactions between the shampoo and water.

The shampoos I use where I live is medium/soft and I've not had any problems with the shampoos and conditioner I use and my hair stays clean for 3-4 sometimes even 5 days. Where my parents live is a hard water area and I was noticing my hair was dirty the next day after washing it.

When I was contacted to ask if I wanted to try Area H2O I straight away said yes and selected the hard water and coloured hair type to try for when I was at my parents. At the beginning of the month I went home for a week so I could test it out properly. I had a really busy week at home and washed it 3 times. I was also home last weekend so used it again while I was there.

I was warned hair can feel dry after shampooing the first few times. Personally I didn't notice this. Having highlighted hair my hair always feels dry after shampooing then feels great again after conditioner.

I really liked the light texture of the shampoo and found it really lathered up to make my hair feel like it was getting a good clean. I also didn't notice loads of hair coming out which I keep noticing when I use cheap shampoo lately. All of the products are colour coded depending on the water type. This makes it easy if like me you spend time between two different types of water and can easily differentiate between the two.

The conditioner was even better than the shampoo in my opinion. It's a great thick conditioner which I love as I feel like my hair is getting the treatment and nourishment it needs. It didn't leave my hair greasy and washed out easily. I also like that the conditioner comes in a squeezy bottle so it's easy to get the product out. I find some tubes hard to get thicker conditioners out.

I love the concept of Area H2O and that it has been developed with the water type in mind. I've really enjoyed using the hard water variety and will continue to use it at my parents house. My hair stayed cleaner longer using it and that's what I really liked.

I really want to try the one for medium water next and will be ordering some when I run out of my current shampoo. It retails for £17.50 for the two which is less than I usually pay for shampoo. I usually pay £23. It comes in soft, medium and hard water types and for normal and coloured hair.

Do you notice a difference between different water types? Is Area H20 something you'd consider?

Love M

xxx

Label.m Honey and Oat Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave In Conditioner

A few week ago we were contacted by Label.m to see if we would like to try out their new Honey and Oat range.
Having tried their Protein Spray and absolutely love it (our post is here) we were really excited to try these as well.

The packaging is great, simple monochrome colours in square shaped bottles with rounded edges.

I've mentioned a zillion times how much I love simple so these tick all the boxes for me.
These Honey and Oat products were formulated for dry and dehydrated hair, which both me and M suffer with due to highlights and styling (doesn't everyone!).

The first thing I can tell you about these products is that they both smell AMAZING. Such a warm and comforting smell, I couldn't stop sniffing it in the shower!

The shampoo foams up really easily and my hair felt really clean without feeling stripped, which is probably down to the honey oat and sea kelp added in for moisture, strengthening and gloss. I love that it also contains an 'Enviroshield Complex' to protect hair from heat styling and UV rays.

The conditioner felt more like a lotion than other products which have felt heavier, and it seems to glide through the hair. The conditioner also contains Sea Cabbage for additional moisture and it doesn't feel heavy at all.

The leave in conditioner felt more like a serum to me, it was so light it was almost like a gel consistency and when applied to the hair didn't feel heavy at all. This uses ginger, ginseng, bergamot, juniper, mandarin orange and vanilla to enhance layers and control frizz for soothing and strengthening hair.

Having used all three for the past week or two my hair feels so much better, it feels cleaner and lasts longer between washes, and feels smoother and stronger than it did before.
It seems to be behaving a lot better style wise as well, which makes life a whole lot easier doesn't it!

I'm normally quite lucky with my hair as it's generally quite resilient but using these products has shown me how much better it could be. I'm not one to spend more on haircare for this reason but this collection of products is definitely worth the money and I think they're reasonably priced for the effects you get from them.

Have you tried Label.m products? What did you think?

L xxx

After being so pleased with the other Label.m products we tried I was so excited to try these, especially as they are for dry damaged hair.

Firstly the smell of these won me over straight away, it smells amazing!! Sweet but not overly. The shampoo gave a good lather and left my hair feeling clean. Another good thing for me is that it didn't make my hair fall out as I've found with cheaper shampoos.

The conditioner was definitely my favourite. It was a lightweight conditioner so didn't weigh down my fine hair. Even though it was lightweight it definitely has helped make my recently bleached hair more manageable. I also like that silicone isn't one of the main ingredients. It is on the list but almost one of the last ones.

Leave in conditioner isn't something I usually use. I've been using this after shampooing and conditioning and applying just to the ends of my hair. These are really damaged at the moment so I'm trying my best to improve this. The leave in conditioner has helped prevent my hair from becoming tangled and makes it easier to comb when wet.

As my hair is dyed and processed a lot I always find I need better hair care for it and tend to go for more expensive brands as I find my hair reacts better to them and cheaper shampoos just don't work for me. I personally prefer to pay more for hair care.

The shampoo retails for £11.95 and the conditioner for £14.95. I do think label.m products are reasonably priced and will continue to purchase them. Currently if you spend over £30 you get a free gift. You can order from labelm.com

Do you prefer higher end hair care? Have you tried label.m?

Love M

xxx