Bleach London White Toner

As a blonde, one of life's long struggles is balancing the brassiness that sometimes comes with bleaching your hair. I usually get highlights in my hair, but this can sometimes veer towards looking a little golden when it goes a while without being coloured. I have used toners on my hair before to help brighten my colour, but I thought the Bleach London White Toner, £8, Boots would make my hair more icy blonde.

 The kit contains everything you need including the colourant, gloves for protection and a hair mask to help hydrate your hair after colouring.

The toner goes into shampooed towel dried hair, so once you have done this, you can mix up the solution. The instructions are really straight forward, and you mix the colourant into the developing solution and shake until mixed. You then section out the hair and add the solution to the root of the hair, and then run through the ends. I find the long nozzle on the applicator really helpful for dividing even sections of hair to apply the toner.

I have used this kit before when I had really long hair and found I needed two kits to do all over my hair, especially as my hair is really thick and I have a lot of it. Now I have bob length hair, I found one kit was perfect, and I had plenty left over to really run through the lengths of my hair to make sure the solution went all over.

Once you're happy with the application, this needs to be left on for about 15-20 mins.

Once you've washed it out you leave the mini Reincarnation Mask included in the kit for about 10 mins.

The mask made my hair feel amazing afterwards. My hair was silky smooth and it made my hair a lot more manageable. You can buy the Reincarnation Mask, £6, Cultbeauty.co.uk separately and if you colour your hair regularly I would highly recommend this as it really helps the condition of your hair and also smells really lovely.

The toner itself brightened up the colour of my hair, and as a semi permanent colour, this is a really good way to test colours before fully committing to something more permanent like bleach.

Here are the before and after shots, excuse my face in the first one, I'd just woken up.

Before

After

The brassiness definitely died down, and people commented on how my hair looked much lighter. I really want to try some cool stuff on my hair and Bleach London provide semi-permanent hair colours and other toners that add different hues to your hair such as grey or lavender as well as shampoos and conditioners that can slowly add a light wash of colour over time, so it is a great brand to try if you're looking to experiment with colour.

Bleach London was started by Alex Brownsell and Sam Teasdale, and first started out as a single chair in Wah Nails Dalston in 2010. As you may know, I am a huge fan of Wah Nails and remember hearing the murmuring of Bleach London in the Wah Nails nail art books, and how they focussed on extreme colour rather than cutting hair.

In 2013 they launched their home hair dye range, just as pastel hair colour was the peak hair trend, and they become an overnight success. In 2017 they relaunched the collection which is why the packaging may look a different to how you remember, and now they have also brought on board Sam's twin sister, makeup artist Lou Teasdale to create a new makeup range which I look forward to trying!

Ogario Hair Care

I have been really excited to write about this, as I feel I have taken a small part in the journey of this brand, and therefore it has a little place in my heart.

 Ogario is made by Rachael and Norris Ogario, and is still a relatively small brand. Norris has a clear passion for hair, and is a hairdresser in his own salon in the Islington area. He and Rachael have decided to embark on the exciting journey of creating their own hair products, which they have tried and tested on the customers in the salon.

I have met both Rachael and Norris, as the came into Fenwick Tunbridge Wells to launch their brand and to educate us on their products. They both clearly have so much passion for their products and really do believe in them. We are the very first store to have Ogario, but you can now find them in a lot of Planet Organic stores and Wholefoods in London. They also sell online but want to keep their niche reputation. Even though it is a small company, they have won loads of awards and have been mentioned in the infamous Beauty Bible. This has really worked in Ogario's favour, as the products have flown off the shelves in Fenwicks, and customers interest in the brand continues to grow.

They wanted their products to be natural and have long term benefits for the hair, and so have made three ranges: Hydrate and Shine, Revive and Shine, and Restore and Shine. Apart from the Restore Range which consists of their only mask, the other two ranges have a shampoo and conditioner in both large and travel sizes.

The Revive and Shine range is better for people with thinner hair, and it aims to boost the hair and add shine. The shampoo smells so delicious, a bit like sweets!

As I have very thick hair that is prone to dryness and damage, I have been using the Hydrate and Shine range, along with the Restore mask. The hydrate range is great for people with dry, damaged hair, or for colour treated hair.

Starting with the shampoo, this foams up really nicely and washes the hair beautifully. It has Moringa in it which is a hydrating ingredient that can be found in things such as the Emma Hardie Cleanser. You don't need much of the product at all, and the honey gives it it's silky caramel constistency. It has a very natural scent, with a hint of spice to it which is really energising.

The conditioner is really really thick and has genuinely transformed the condition of my hair. Since using this, my hair has been so much more managable, and my ends haven't been as tangled and knotted. This has Marshmallow in which instantly makes it sounds delicious, but it is actually a herb that has super hydrating properties. Again the scent of this is fairly spicy but it has a real sweetness to it aswell.

Finally, the award winning Restore and Shine mask. I've just recently had my hair cut so want to keep the ends hydrated to the max with this product! This is the product that really got Ogario noticed, and it can be found in the natural beauty bible. This is to be applied to partially dry hair, so towel dry your hair after shampooing. I apply this to the lengths of my hair and leave it on for about 10 minutes. It smells like Lemon sherbert and is so zesty and fresh! It leaves my hair feeling really boosted and soft.

I highly recommend trying this brand as they use all natural ingredients and it has really improved the condition of my hair as well as lasting me ages! The price points are really reasonable and the little travel sizes and jet sets would make perfect gifts for someone! Find out more about the brand using he link below.

www.ogariolondon.com

Bleach London Rose Colour

Before I went to Glastonbury, I posted a picture of myself on Instagram with my attempted pink hair. Unfortunately it didn't go as pastel pink as I wanted but that shouldn't be the reason I don't review the product! Although it didn't work how I wanted, I'll explain why I don't think it did and how I will try and make it work in the future, as I am not going to give up on the pink hair quest!

So the product I used was the Bleach London rose hair colour which is a semi permanent dye.

As my hair is naturally blonde, it said I wouldn't need to bleach my hair, but I used the bleach London White toner beforehand to make sure my hair was as blonde as it could be. I have done a full review of the toner before so click the link below to read that.

http://whatalookerbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/bleach-london-white-toner.html

Once the toner was washed out, I applied the colour to my hair in strands. It says to leave the colour on for 10 to 15 minutes. The actual formula is thick and creamy and is easy to apply. Because of it's creaminess, it feels quite moisturising on the hair.

After washing it out, this was the final result.

As you can see by my face I wasn't completely satisfied with my hair.

A favourite blogger of mine called melon lady recently did a video on this very product, and described her hair as more of a hue rather than a pastel, and I think mine came out similar.
(The link to her video is here) I am a bit disappointed it didn't come out as pastel as I wanted as I had dreamt of pink hair for about 3 years now and can only do it at certain times due to work, so I had to go to Glastonbury as a very faint pink tinged blonde, which actually didn't look very pink after this picture.

I think next time I try this product, I will have to leave the toner on for longer to get the really white blonde colour so the pink had a better base to stick too.

I would also leave the pink colour on for longer as my hair is really really thick and probably needs longer for the colour to penetrate my hair.

Have you ever tried going a pastel colour? And if so which brands did you try?

My First Birchbox Review - January

This year I decided to kick start the new year by treating myself to not only a Glossy Box subscription, but join the Birchbox craze too. As my Glossy Box reviews are usually months late it got me thinking, that maybe the reason for the lateness is that I don't really like the products in Glossy Boxes. I will probably keep both subscriptions for a while then decide to drop one. The first Birchbox for January certainly made a good impression. I think Birchbox deals with more high end products, whereas Glossy Box showcases more up and coming brands. So lets get started and look at each product individually.

Laura Mercier Body Cream

Laura Mercier was one of the products I knew Birchbox, did so when I opened it and saw one was in there I was very pleased. Laura Mercier is a luxurious counter I have admired from afar at work. Their makeup is really good quality and their body creams smell so delicious and can be smelt across the whole shop. My sister got the creme brulee scent for Christmas and I received the Vanilla scent. I think I prefer the creme brulee but this is still delectable. The cream is highly nourishing and dries quickly so you can get dressed again. The smell is really nice and lasts for ages on the skin, like a perfume. This little sample size will last for ages as well as I've hardly dented it!

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

I have used Elasticizer and reviewed it before here. This pre shampoo treatment is to be left on for 10 - 20 mins to make hair feel revived and less frazzled. It's great for heat damaged or bleached hair.

Del A Rom Face Mask

I had never heard of french brand 'Del a Rom' until now. Having a 10 minute face mask tied in really well with the Elasticizer product meaning you could have a good pamper session! This hydrating mask is a cream consistency, and at first I thought I may have mistaken it for a moisturiser. As the instructions where in French I had to find the product online to realise that it is actually a thick mask, with pomegranate extract which smelt amazing. After 10 minutes, the mask was completely absorbed in the driest areas of my face, and my skin felt so smooth and healthy afterwards. I really liked this product.

Anatomy Nutrients

Having the Laura Mercier cream and this body oil was quite nice as some people prefer different textures. I personally prefer an oil on my legs, and to have a cream in the upper part of my body. I find oil absorbs better into my legs, and allows you to put even jeans on shortly after, and makes your legs feel amazing after shaving. This oil was quite thick but still easily absorbed. I applied this in the morning and my legs were still highly moisturised by the end of the day. This oil had quite an earthy smell to it which I liked. The yummy Laura Mercier smell would be wasted on my legs as I can't smell that far down!

Birchbox Eye Mask

This little Birchbox own product is a cooling eye mask. It's great for cooling eyes and reducing puffiness due to tiredness. This is even better once it has been left in the fridge, for a cool cucumber effect, but without the mess.

Benefit Pore-fessional

The Benefit Pore-fessional is THE product of this box. Birchbox release a spoiler into what the hero product of the box is going to be, and this was the one they were shouting about. Pore-fessional is a pore minimizing primer and can also be used on top of makeup to keep it in place. My past experience of primers has always been a clear gel liquid, but the Pore-fessional had a tan colour to it, meaning it covered up blemishes as well as pores. I don't have too bigger pores but liked the texture of the product on my face. I also used it on top of my makeup and found my makeup stayed put all day quite flawlessly. As large pores aren't my main skin concern I probably wouldn't buy the product, but I very much enjoyed my sample of it.

Philip Kingsley Haircare

I have just finished using this Philip Kingsley haircare, and here is how I got on with it.

Elasticizer

I have used the Elasticizer hair mask before which you can read a full review of here. I really liked this mask when I used it, it made my hair feel soft and a lot more manageable. It is a pre shampoo treatment.

Shampoo

A lot of natural shampoos do not contain an ingredient that is designed to make a shampoo foam. I am not 100% sure is this Philip Kingsley shampoo is even considered natural, but I can tell you that it did not foam up. At all. Not even lather slightly. Now since using this shampoo I have started using an Aveda Shampoo which is considered 100% natural, and this foams up more than this Philip Kingsley Shampoo. I was recommended the 'Moisture Balancing' range from a Philip Kingsley representative.

I am not going to slate a product, because what doesn't work for me, may work fantastically for someone else, but this Shampoo did not clean my hair AT ALL. After I had washed it, it still felt greasy. My skin has recently changed and become more oily, and I thought that my hair was getting greasier because of that, but since changing my shampoo, I could tell from the first wash that the Philip Kingsley was just not washing my hair properly. As the product didn't foam up, I think it got lost in my hair instantly, and as my hair is thick, it just didn't sufficiently clean it. I tried using more water, more product, but nothing happened. Very disappointing.

Conditioner

The conditioner was slightly better, I used it only on the ends of my hair and it moistures the ends to the standard I would want. I wouldn't say it was the best, but it does it's job as a conditioner. There was no particular smell or anything else that would draw me to it to make me buy it again, it was just a basic conditioner.

Daily Damage Defence

The daily damage defence is hard to review as it is a heat protector, and I can't really tell you if my hair was well protected or not. All I will say is that my hair has not seemed dry or burnt at all, and the little spray lasted me about 2 months.

Not a sparkling review I will admit, but I think it is important not to view everything with rose tinted glasses. I do look for positives in products, but I was actually quite relieved actually when I stopped using these. Philip Kingsley has been around for such a long time it feels almost wrong to not like the products, but perhaps if I used a different range from the collection I would get on better, but after this experience, I am not really interested in trying the Shampoos and Conditioners from Philip Kingsley. I would rather stick to there styling products and treatments.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

I have been really excited to use this product as I have heard really good things about it, one of them being "it makes your hair feel brand new". I have had my little of sample of this for a while and have been waiting for the right moment to use it. As my hair was stripped of the brown hair colour the other day, I thought now was the best time to use it as it is feeling a little abused!

Elasticizer was the first ever pre-shampoo treatment in the world, and has won loads of awards, including the InStyle award for 'best deep conditioning mask' for two years running, the evening standard beauty award in the hair mask category, and bazaar beauty hot 100. Elasticizer was originally created specially for Audrey Hepburn, designed to revitalise and moisturise her hair that was exposed to damage, from being constantly styled when acting. It works by moisturising the hair cuticle, and adding suppleness and elasticity but without weighing it down with product. It has been a round for 26 years, and is definitely Philip Kingsley's hero product. 

Shiny Hair! - taken from google images.

You have to wet the hair before you apply the mask which is a little annoying but not too laborious. You apply it to the hair in sections, whack on a shower cap and leave it for 10-20 mins. My hair is quite dry so I left it on for 20 mins. It is a perfume free product but I thought it smelt a little chemically, but nothing horrible, just standard hair dressers smell. I washed it out and I could tell instantly that my hair was softer and more conditioned. Your meant to use the mask regularly so I can imagine with prolonged use it would do its job even better. My hair felt softer, and generally healthier once I'd dried my hair, and it looked shinier too. The elasticizer also contains sunscreen so prevents hair from burning when being styled or in hot weather, which also helps maintain colour. I really like this product and for £26.25, it is quite steep for a hair mask, but it is pretty much the best one around! There is also the elasticizer extreme which is for afro carribean hair or seriously damaged hair. It is the same product, just higher doses of everything!

If your looking for a hair mask that isn't in a sachet and actually works, I would really recommend spending the money! If it was good enough for Audrey Hepburn, it is definitely good enough for me!

Philip Kingsley Fact: healthy hair stretches when wet, and really healthy hair can stretch up to 30% its length as well as being able to support 23 tonnes of weight!!!!

*I was given a free sample size of Elasticzer at my work place, but have taken a picture of the full size product so you can find it on the shelves!