HAIR | John Frieda Beach Blonde Series Review

My very first question about the John Frieda Beach Blonde line was whether I needed to be blonde to see any benefits and of course the answer is no! It says right on the packaging that this is perfect for brunettes as well! You can figure out from my question that I have been sitting on this review for awhile because I ended up going blonde over the summer and never needed to wonder anymore! Released last year, the Beach Blonde line consists of the: Cool Dip Purifying Shampoo*, Smooth Seas Detangling Conditioner*, Kelp Help Deep Conditioning Masque* and Sea Waves Salt Spray*.

HAIR REVIEW | John Frieda Frizz Ease & Colour Refreshing Gloss to the Rescue!

I feel like John and I should be on first name basis now since he’s been in my life so often the last couple of months! I had mentioned awhile back in a Beauty Panel post (here) that John Frieda’s Frizz Ease* was a must-have for any bad hair day and even though much of my frizz has been tamed with the Conair Ultimate Brush (review) I have recently been suffering from a bad case of “baby hairs’'”. All over my head that seem to worsen with the heat. I HATE IT. I am also in desperate need of a cut and colour and have been holding myself over with the John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss* until I can get my act together and get my derriere over to a salon!

HAIR | John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Colour Protecting Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner Review

John Frieda hair products have been in my life since I was a teenager and through a couple of beauty boxes, I was able to try (and fall in love with) one of my favourite products, the Frizz Ease Extra Strength Serum. Up until last year, I had never coloured my hair so I never gave “colour protecting” products a second glance. Well, now with my fast-fading ombre hair, I am forever determined to keep the colour intact for as long as possible! The Brilliant Brunette series does just that! There are two sets of products in this line: the Multi-Tone Enhancing Shampoo and Conditioner and the one that I have been using over the last 2 weeks, the Colour Protecting Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner. Made with crushed pearl powder and sweet almond oil, this duo is all about colour preservation and rehydrating colour-treated hair because DAMN does it ever get dry!

The almond oil is what made me love the smell of both products and although I understand that the “stand-up” style packaging gets you EVERY last drop of product, when the bottles are fresh and full there tends to be a lot of spillage when stored in the upright position! With regards to the shampoo, I felt like I had to squeeze out a little more than I normally would to get a good lather going (yes, yes I know it’s NOT always about the bubbles), but without a certain amount I can’t really clean my hair of the hair spray, dry shampoo and texturing spray that I add to my hair for lift on a daily basis (yes, those are my hair secrets).

Final Verdict: While this duo didn’t blow my mind, my hair did feel quite hydrated. I could skip my hair oil a few nights because my ends just didn’t look like they needed the extra moisture blast. My scalp still felt a little dry at times, but my hair was totally fine. I think I’m just weird. I can’t quite tell if my colour has been preserved at all since it has only been a short amount of time, but I liked the fluidity of the formulas of both the shampoo and conditioner and will continue using them once I get my hair re-ombred. Now, THAT will probably be the true test! 

John Frieda products can be found at London Drugs, Wal-Mart, Safeway, Rexall, Jean Coutu, Shoppers Drug Mart and Lawtons.

December 2012 Empties!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year’s celebration! I am very full from yet another big family dinner and I feel like I’m all “celebrated out”! I sort of just want to get 2013 started and get those resolutions going! Empties seemed like an appropriate post to end the year with as I’m saying goodbye to both 2012 and product!

Body

Sample Sundays: Second Edition

I can’t believe it has been two weeks already and that it is once again time for me to go through my sample stash and pick some new things to try. I really want to get rid of all my shampoo packets so I am making those a priority! I seem to be pretty optimistic this week about the number of samples I *think* I will be able to get through. Maybe I’m just feeling very glass half-full at the moment, but I think I can do it!

Bath and Body

1. AHAVA – Mineral Body Lotion (40mL)

2. L’Occitane- Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream (8mL)

3. Sugarfoot and Company - Oatmeal Cookies Body Lotion (1oz)

4. Mainely Cole’s - Silky Body Butter in Coconut Lime Verbena (1oz)

Makeup

5. Lash Card (2 cards)

6. Make Up For Ever – Sens’Eyes Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleaner (25mL)

7. YSL – Mascara in Black (3mL)

Face

8. Balea – Skin Firming Peel Off Face Mask in Honey and Caramel (15mL)

9. L’Occitane – Ultra Rich Face Scrub (5mL)

10. L’Occitane – Immortelle Cream Mask (5mL)

Hair

11. Chi – Silk Infusion (15mL)

12. Wella- Brilliance Treatment (25mL)

13. Principessa Beauty - Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair (30g)

14. John Frieda – Weatherworks Shampoo/Conditioner (8.3mL each)

15. Arbonne - FC5 Nourishing Daily Shampoo/Conditioner (6mL each)

16. Fekkai - Brilliant Glossing Shampoo/Conditioner (9mL each)

17. Redken - Color Extend Shampoo/Conditioner (10mL each)

Alrighty, off to the races!

September Luvs

This post should have been up earlier, but when someone in the house gets the stomach flu, all resources get pooled for recovery purposes! Well, it’s now officially Fall and I am actually getting more and more excited for the colder days, new holiday collections and of course new favourite products!

Bath and Body