Posts tagged hair
Review: John Frieda Highlight Activating Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner
0The other day a friend commented on my hair – she asked if I’d had it dyed, saying it looked lighter and brighter. I thanked her and explained that no, I haven’t had my hair done for a very long time, but I had started using a new shampoo and conditioner that is designed to make my highlights stand out.
I’d been using John Frieda Highlight Activating Moisturising Shampoo and Highlight Activating Moisturising Conditioner (for Lighter Shades) for about a week when I had that lovely complement. The shampoo contains Jojoba oil, sunflower and white tea complex which help to bring out highlights for “maximum blonde impact”, and the moisturising formula adds shine without actually adding colour. The conditioner incorporates the sane blonde-enhancing ingredients while gently removing those residues that build up and dull the hair.
Looking at the photo what do you think I’m going to say about the packaging? If you’ve been reading Splodz Blogz for a long time you might remember I have featured John Frieda Go Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner, and I mentioned this then. It’s the labelling. The difference between the shampoo and conditioner packaging is so small that if you’ve got water in your face it’s very difficult to see which one is which. John Frieda have used different colours and I think I’ve just about remembered that blue is shampoo and green is conditioner (or is it the other way around), but ideally it should be much more obvious.
I do like this pair of products, they are nice to use and obviously work as I mentioned above. I have found, though, that the moisturising effect of these means by the evening my hair is looking flat and a little greasy. I have very fine hair and have to wash it daily, but if I’m out in the evening I am finding it necessary to refresh using dry shampoo (my favourite ever hair product!). I don’t mind that too much because I think my hair looks better in the daytime than it does with my normal choice or shampoo and conditioner, and I know my hair is very prone to looking lifeless, but it is a bit annoying that it doesn’t last 12 hours.
Disclaimer: I was sent some Shampoo and Conditioner to review. I have not been told what to say and have been no less honest as a result of receiving the product for free.
Review: Power Support Crystal Film Set
04 months ago
I’ve had a number of generations of the iPhone over the past few years (I know, I’m very lucky), and each time I buy a new one my main concern is keeping it in perfect condition so that I can enjoy the screen and that retina display for as long as possible. I know many people who think screen protectors ruin the display on devices like iPhones, but every day life for me offers great risks of nasty scratches, even with me being as careful as I can possibly be. So I always get a screen protector so that I can stop worrying and just use my phone for everything I bought it for.
MobileFun sent me the Power Support Crystal Film Set to try on my iPhone 5. They didn’t know when they sent it that I am already a fan of Power Support and their screen protectors – I have used them on all my iPhones up until now and had been on the look out for the iPhone 5 version but hadn’t spotted it anywhere yet. I had actually purchased a different screen protector a couple of weeks before receiving this one, concentrated really hard to fit it perfectly, failed despite following the instructions to the letter, ruined it, got upset and chucked it in the bin. I can’t even remember what make it was now. But when this film set arrived I beamed, knowing that I would be able to tell you all what a happy blogger I was as a result.
I mentioned I hadn’t seen this product stocked anywhere. The packaging here might give you a clue… this has been imported – apart from the title everything else is in Japanese. Which if this is your first Power Support Crystal Film Set would be a problem (the picture based instructions are not particularly clear at all), but as I have installed (stuck on) several of these on mine and LincsGeeks phones in the past, I knew what I was doing.
In the package you get two screen protectors for the front of the iPhone 5, a sticky sleeve that cleans off dust and prints, a little cloth and the instruction card. Let me put the instructions here in case you get a Japanese one too… (these instructions worked for me anyway!).
1) Clean your iPhone screen. I use a teeny bit of windowlene on a cloth for this, it gets rid of everything including any grease which might otherwise be visible underneath the screen protector.
2) Stick the white sheet to your phone – the backing is in two halves to make this easy, simply remove one half of it and start sticking the sheet on the phone before removing the other half off the backing. Smooth this over using the cloth.
3) Get the screen protector ready. Have it the right way around etc. Once you are ready, remove the cleaning sheet from the phone carefully from one end and put those two halves of the backing paper back on it (you can use this again).
4) Pull the backing off the screen protector just a little bit and begin sticking it to the phone. It is fairly rigid so it doesn’t flop about everywhere (unlike the other brand one I’d tried and failed with which wafted with the slightest intake of breath) and you can offer it up, getting it lined up with the top of the phone before putting it on. Gradually pull off the backing (which is between the protector and the phone), allowing the screen film to cling to your screen. You will almost certainly have a few bubbles which you can smooth out using that cloth, wipe with a good amount of pressure pushing the bubble to the edge.
5) If you spot a speck of dust, use a bit of sticky tape to pull the protector up from one corner, and another piece of sticky tape to remove the offending item. It is possible to completely remove the protector and reapply it if you’re not happy with the alignment, thankfully it doesn’t ruin if you take it off.
I have to say I thought I was happy with the alignment of mine (above) until the day after when the slight wonky-ness just got too me too much so I used tape to pull the protector off and did it again, much better this time. And I can be sure now that this film will not come off unless I want it to.
I am really pleased with the results, as I anticipated. I can now use my phone all the time without worrying about any damage to the lovely display – and because the protector is completely clear and not textured in anyway (anti glare protectors have a texture to them so they stop the reflections, which unfortunately means the display becomes less clear), my display is not compromised. The touch screen is not affected either, it still works perfectly well. Oh and if for some reason I manage to ruin this protector I have another one in the drawer to replace it with – with my iPhone 4 one I replaced it after about 18 months just to give my phone a clean look again.
So thanks very much MobileFun, you have made me a very happy blogger.
You can see a wide range of iPhone 5 cases at Mobile Fun – they’ve got the Power Support Crystal Film Set for £17.95 at the moment, money well spent in my opinion.
Disclaimer: I was sent this screen protector by Mobile Fun so I could review it on Splodz Blogz. I have not been told what to say and have been no less honest as a result of receiving the product for free.
Dove Colour Radiance (Bzz Review)
0I am a BzzAgent and this is a Bzz Review…
As someone who colours her hair, I invited to take part in a new Bzz campaign for Dove Colour Radiance Shampoo and Conditioner. I was sent a bottle of each to try at home along with some samples and vouchers to share with friends.
I like Dove as a company, as a brand. They seem to have it right when making products for women, with a vision to help our self-esteem as well as look after our skin. These two products I was sent to test are designed to use on coloured hair to keep it vibrant.
Both shampoo and conditioner have been formulated to nourish and protect. They have UV filters in them which helps prevent your hair colour from fading.
I coloured my hair at home using an all-over foam colour (actually it’s the first time I’ve done it myself, I normally go to a salon to get it done) and have used this shampoo and conditioner daily since. That’s about 2/3 weeks ago now, and I’m pretty pleased with the results. The shampoo cleans my hair well and the conditioner is easy to massage in and rinses away clean. The fact this treatment is “express” is perfect – I can use it daily in the shower without missing out on the benefits – I don’t have time for long-winded conditioning treatments.
I think my hands are a tad dehydrated oh dear. Anyway, you can see a slight pink tinge on the left of the conditioner on my fingers – it comes out of the bottle like that, with a kind of stripe like you get with toothpastes. The further into the tube I’ve got the brighter pink it is – I think that means I didn’t get as much of the nourishment in the first few uses.
Here you can see my blonde hair – freshly coloured on the morning of the photo on the left, and three weeks later having used these Dove products daily on the right. I do think it’s got a bit darker, but it’s still looking ok.
I would say, though, that while I like Dove and these two products I’ve been trying out, I don’t know that they are any better than the Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner I normally buy. My hair feels clean and bright, the products are easy to use and you only need a small amount each wash, but probably no more so than with other products. I would consider buying these Dove products again, but they go in the mix with others that also tick the boxes.
Edited to Add:
Now I’m pretty much at the end of my bottle of this Dove shampoo, I wanted to add a little niggle I have about the bottle…
The shape of the bottle, specifically the top, means it cannot be stood upside down. As the shampoo is quite a thick liquid this means you really have to shake the bottle to get the last few washes out. I wish bottle designers would consider usability – if this had a flat top I could stand it upside down in my shower and easily get all of the shampoo out of the bottle. I would imagine it won’t be long before I give up and end up chucking the bottle out with some shampoo left in it, what a waste.
Disclaimer: I am a BzzAgent and was asked to take part in the Dove Colour Radiance campaign, which meant I was sent some shampoo and conditioner to try at home in return for telling other people what I think about them. I have not been told what to write and I have been no less honest as a result.
Batiste Paisley and Graffiti
0Regular readers of Splodz Blogz will know that I am a fan of Batiste, and I don’t mind telling you again. The (lovely) dry shampoo company has recently released two new scents, and I was very pleased to receive a tin of each in the post to try out when I got back from my recent holiday.
Batiste Paisley and Graffiti are available in competing shops – the former in Superdrug and the latter in Boots. They are rival scents if you like, and have kind of been designed for two different types of women.
The names and designs on the tins give it away really. The Paisley one is sweet and sugary (a bit like sherbet), whereas the graffiti one is fresher. Paisley has floral notes, whereas Graffiti is kind of more metallic.
Of course both have exactly the same effect on your hair. Dry shampoo is ideal for refreshing your hair between washes – whether it’s fixing your hair after work ready for an evening out, or when you’re out and about unable to find water warm enough to risk a shower. I always have some in my bathroom cupboard, in my work drawer, in my rucksack.
In the battle of the exclusive scents I have to say I prefer Paisley – it’s sweeter and more floral. Actually this goes against what I would choose if I hadn’t got both side by side to compare – I would have thought my style would be more Graffiti. I guess we’re always learning things about ourselves… even with tins of dry shampoo.
Which one do you like best? What do you think of “exclusive” scents?
Disclaimer: I was sent a couple of tins of Batiste so I could write about them here on Splodz Blogz. I have not been told what to write and have been no less honest as a result of receiving these for free.
Refresh Your Hair Without Water – Batiste
1Regular readers of Splodz Blogz will know I like and use Batiste Dry Shampoo – I’ve reviewed several of the fragrances.
They have recently sent me a can of their Fresh version, which has been designed as a unisex fragrance.
Dry shampoo is designed to refresh and revitalise greasy, dull, lifeless hair. It helps make your hair feel clean, full of body and fragrant. And of course it does all that without water – which in today’s drought (I shan’t comment on the amount of rain we’ve had here since the hosepipe ban kicked in) could be one way to help us reduce our water usage. Apparently we each use up to 150 litres of water every day – and Batiste say we could reduce that by using Batiste Dry Shampoo instead of washing our hair every time it needs refreshing. We should definitely not be washing our hair more than once a day.
This particular version “Fresh” has a clean, cool and crisp fragrance. Using it is very simple – shake, spray, massage and brush.
Would you consider using dry shampoo instead of washing your hair as regularly as you do now?
Disclaimer: I was sent this product for free to review on Splodz Blogz, but I have not been told what to write and am always honest.
mypure Review – Essential Epil
0I’ve been trying my latest product from mypure for a couple of months. Essential Epil is a “hair growth inhibitor and skin glorifier” by Acorelle. The blurb on the box says that it reduces hair density by 80% in 56 days, indicating that hair growth is delayed and hairs are finer and fewer… leaving skin “lovelier”.
http://www.mypure.co.uk/acorelle-epilation-b160/skin-glorifier-hair-growth-inhibitor-body-p1388
(£23.99, 75ml)
The formula contains a patented black truffle extract, recognised as a powerful hair growth inhibitor, along with protein active enzymes that deliver the active ingredients into the core of the hair shaft. Hair regrowth is slower and hairs are fewer and finer. In vivo tests show hair density reduced by 80% after 56 days.
How does it work?
Ten years ago in the Toulouse region of France a cosmetic chemist decided to find out why nothing grows under oak trees when there are black truffles growing in the soil. An extract from the truffles was found to inhibit plant growth under the oak trees and it is this same extract which was later found to inhibit hair regrowth after waxing.
I tested Essential Epil on my legs, and have been shaving (my normal hair removal method) at the same time as using this product – as recommended on the packaging. The cream, which I applied each time I shaved, is an excellent moisturiser and made my legs feel soft and smooth. After about 6-8 weeks I am noticing a definite change in the amount of hair growth, and the hair that is growing is much finer than I’m used to.
The cream does have a scent, quite a strong one, and while it’s not unpleasant (hair removal cream is normally horrid!), it is still a bit strong for my liking. As a result I ended up only using it in the evenings – not a massive problem but something I noticed.
I’m not sure if my legs were “glorified” by this product, but I am liking it and its effects on hair growth. It’s something that is working slowly, but after two months I can see a difference. It’s not a cheap or value product, but I can see myself using this instead of a normal moisturiser on my legs from now on – I’ll let you know if I start shaving less!
