REVIEW: Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends

What they say:

I'm your hair's passionate Protector and Defender.  I'll leave your hair strong to carry on... and on... and on... and on.

And keep it feeling voluptuously velvety.

What I say:

 I've been hammering my hair lately by curling it with GHDS and it's been starting to feel a little frazzled.  I've used GHDs for years and never had any issues with frying my hair and I always use a heat protection spray  but I think it's the dragging motion that is required to create the curls that is the issue as when straightening , it is just a quick sweep through my hair rather than any prolonged contact.

I bought the product from Tesco and paid £3.99 for it.  The tub recommends that you should use once a week however, I've tended to use it twice (so every other wash) and in 3 weeks I can feel a definite improvement in the condition of my hair.

It feels softer, silkier and more manageable.  A colleague actually commented that my hair looked healthy and shiny last week and this is the only new product I've been using!

I leave on for 5 minutes and by the time I come to wash it out, I can feel the difference straight away.

The product contains red raspberry and silk extracts and is candy pink in appearance.  It's quite a thick and gloopy consistency which means it's easy to be overly generous with the amount you apply.  The scent is lovely, I can definitely smell the raspberry extract, it reminds me of raspberry blancmange (anyone remember that? Yum) in both appearance and smell.  The scent is long lasting, I often get a whiff up to 24 hours after using it.

Would I re-purchase?

Hell yeah! A product that gives excellent results, smells fab and costs £3.99 - what more can you ask for :)

REVIEW: Lush Charlotte Island body tint

What they say:

Get bronzed and gorgeous without ever having to leave the country for warmer climes.  Smooth on our light and fruity body tint for a tropical glow all year round.

What I say:

I'm not normally a fan of the instant tanning options, much preferring the longevity and depth of colour of developing tans (normally St Tropez mousse) however I was drawn to this product a few weeks ago in the Leeds Lush store.  It cost £4.95 for 100g so I thought I'd give it a go.

I've used it a couple of times since then and I'm sitting on the fence.  Reading the description, one would anticipate the scent taking you away to a balmy island with palm trees and pina coladas however, instead it takes my back to clay modelling during my school days!

It took me a while to pin down the scent - dusty? organic? powdery?  CLAY!  Certainly not fruity as Lush advertise and not chocolatey as appearances may suggest.

Results-wise - it does give a nice warm bronzey colour instantly however I would recommend a good exfoliate and moisturise prior to application as otherwise I have found I get a bit of 'drag'



Before application





Immediately after application



Definitely more warmth, no?

I have to say, I'm not converted to instant tanners and will stick to my St Tropez however I can see the benefit of having a bottle of this stashed to top up fading fake tans before a night out, or maybe to even give an added glow to a natural tan on holiday.

I've had no transference onto clothes (though have only worn dark colours I must admit) and today, the colour lasted on me for 6 hours or so.  The scent is still lingering - it's not unpleasant just not what I had hoped for, especially from a Lush product!  Then again, I have never come across a pleasantly scented fake tan product so I can't mark it down too much for that!

Would I re-purchase?

Yes, I think so however it would never be my go-to bronzing product - merely just something useful to have around to give my existing tan (fake or natural) a boost.

P.S. Giveaway heads up!  I'm planning to host a mini 'welcome to my blog' giveaway next week which will be open to my followers so check back soon.  There aren't many of you yet so you will all stand a good chance of winning!  I'll keep you waiting to find out what I'm offering other than to say that I'll be spreading the love with some of my holy grail products :)

REVIEW: Charles Worthington Balancing Act Dry Shampoo

What they say:

Instantly revive and freshen hair with salon shine results dry shampoo.  It's unique 'bounce back formula' means this multi tasking wonder helps to:

• 
  
  Absorb grease and liven up limp locks
• 
  
  Boost volume and create texture
• 
  
  Freshen hair between washes and 'on the go'

What I say:

I'm normally a Batiste girl, occasionally Osis Dust It but when I sent DH to Sainsbury's for dry shampoo, he came back with this.  Priced at £4.99, a good few quid extra than it's Batiste counterpart, I had high hopes.

First impressions were good; I followed the instructions and shook the can before spraying through my hair, paying particular attention to the roots.  My hair definitely felt more bouncy and the limpness was reduced.  There was no visible signs of powder on my blonde hair which can be an issue with other dry shampoos.  The scent is sweet with subtle floral undertones, definitely quite a clean, pleasant scent.

A couple of hours later however, my head felt decidedly itchy!  I've used it a couple of times since and it's almost like you can feel the shampoo's presence on your scalp!  Not good.  I wonder if anyone else has felt like this, or whether I don't agree with a particular ingredient?  I have never had similar issues with other dry shampoo products though.

Would I re-purchase?

Afraid not.  Particularly when my local Superdrug is currently selling Batiste at 99p!