Bleach London Fail Again: Reincarnation Mask

After having a very disappointing go of the Bleach London hair dye, I decided to have a try of their other products. Something that they surely can't feck up. Who can feck up an aul conditioner after all? Well I'll not hold you in suspense for long, apparently the people at Bleach London can feck it up all too well. What are these lads playing at? You can have a look at my less-then-happy review of one of their hairs dyes over here.

Now don't get me wrong, the mask isn't actually that bad as far as they go. But for €7.99 I have had way better hair masks for half that price. I just can't buy into the whole cult following of Bleach London that seems to be so big. For every new product I try, I come away disappointed and feel almost cheated out of my money. They have the talk, but they just can't walk the walk. 

''Resurrect and hydrate thirsty, bleached or coloured hair and improve elasticity with this repairing and moisturising hair mask. Enriched with sunflower seed extract and micro wheat proteins to give great shine, strengthen colour vibrancy and help reduce colour fade.''

I can say nothing but a big, fat LOL to the colour vibrancy and colour fade promises. I can only assume you would be best to use Bleach London hair dye with this product, so I redyed my hair purple that morning and went about the day. That evening I threw in a decent amount of the mask and sat for the recommended 20 minutes. When I washed the conditioner out I was left with blue hair. The mask that they sell and formulated for their own products, strips your hair of the original dyed colour... 

To say that I was a little confused and lets face it, really annoyed at my new hair colour being ruined was an understatement. For anyone who dyes their hair regularly like myself, will know the pain of having to evenly apply, wait around timing it perfectly (so your hair isn't going to fall off your head!) wash it out and then deal with the dye all over the bathroom. Having all the hard work wiped clean in 20 minutes is not my idea of fun. I honestly have no clue what Bleach London are playing at here. They are selling products that don't cut it and shouldn't be on the shelves to begin with. 

It just bothers me to a whole new level when the brand is so hyped, the packaging is eye catching and really funky and even the actual product looks promising. If this was a good and well working mask I would forgive the crazy €7.99 for 200ml. I'd even buy it again. But this is just maddening. Needless to say I wont be using this again, as I'm afraid it will strip other dyes that I plan on using - not any of the Bleach London ones either, just to be clear!

Have you tried any Bleach London products?

H'suan Wen Hua

Recently I've been on a mad one looking for a really good hair mask. Lads, I was even prepared to fork out the big bucks for it - thats how bad my hair has gotten. With memories of beautiful soft hair after using Lush products and a lovely suggestion from Lesley (bellinisandblush.wordpress.com) on twitter, I decided to go into Lush and get a mask. I know I'm still on a ban, but in my defense I've bought maybe 5 things since I started it, which for me is really impressive considering how much I would normally buy in there..

Anyway! I tried h'suan wen hua a few years ago and I remembered not getting any decent results, but I was totally willing to try again considering how bad my hair is. The one thing I forgot was the awful smell of strong cinnamon that made me feel sick while using it, but none the less I was determent to see if this could help! Apart from cinnamon, it has eggs, bananas, avocados and bay leaves all packed into one pot. These ingredients have lots of oils and are great for moisturising and softening the hair, with the cinnamon to stimulate the scalp. Its a lovely consistency - not too thick that it wont spread easy, but not watery enough that it will just slide off your hair. Its just right!

Its recommend that once you liberally apply the mask to dry hair that you leave it for about 20 minutes. I left mine in for close to two hours as I really wanted all the good stuff to sink into my hair and work its magic. On the back of the pot it says that if your hair is in really bad condition its advised to use the treatment once a week for six weeks, which is ok if you have short hair. However if your like myself and your almost sitting on your hair then this will be a pricey treatment as each pot is €11.50.  I used two thirds of the pot in my hair purely as I didn't want to use it all in one go and there was plenty in my hair already. 

The end result? I wasn't overly impressed (yet again) with my hair after I washed it out and let it dry. I think that I would need to do this treatment a few times before I noticed any major improvements, but I do think for someone thats just looking to perk their hair up a little its the perfect product. On the downside, it took about three or four washes before the horrible smell of cinnamon was gone - but my granny thought it was only gorgeous so I'm sure a lot of you out there would enjoy the smell. (Or maybe my granny is just a bit mad, like me!)

If you do decide to try this out or any other Lush product that comes in a black pot, remember to wash it out and keep it. For every five clean empty pots you bring back to Lush for them to recycle, you get a free face mask of your choice, fancy!

Macadamia Oil and Conditioning treatments

I'm on a roll with pound shop finds recently. Last month I stumbled across a macadamia oil extract hair treatment and a hair mask for the grand total of €3. Where would you get it! I am forever on the lookout for something to help with my mane, as I dye the crap out of it and generally abuse it. Macadamia oil is one of those hyped ingredients that a lot of must-have  products contain right now, but what does the stuff actually do? Or is it just that - hype? (like oil pulling, my favourite thing to listen to people 'swear by.' So much loling, so little time.)  

Macadamia oil originates from Australia, but now is also grown in Hawaii. The plants help to grow seeds that produce the lovely rich oil that everyones hair wants these days. The oil contains vitamin E and B, sources of calcium, iron and about 80% mono saturated fat, to name a few things. Despite the oil having so much packed into it, its lightweight and not really that greasy so it absorbs easily into hair. Because it absorbs quickly into your hair, it means that there is no product build up that you can get with products that are slow working. It nourishes, softens and fights the never ending battle with frizzy hair. It helps to keep hair healthy and well, is a wonder ingredient to use. But considering most products say there is only an extract of macadamia oil, I always wonder if there is enough in the product to actually make a difference. 

For €1.50 each, whats the thoughts after using both a few times? I really liked them, especially the oil. I'm not normally one to put oil in my hair and leave it as I feel kind of dirty and in need of a shower, but this stuff didn't make me feel like a total grease ball (sexy phrase alert). The hair mask added to the oils hard work is total bonus hair lovin', but the hair mask on its own doesn't seem to have the same softie soft effect as both used together. However theres no harm in trying out things that could help your hair when they are so super cheap. That and it makes your hair smell really good! I'd definitely recommend picking these up if you see them, especially the little bottle of oil as it has made a difference to my hair. I'm a slightly softer cailin now. 

  

Friday Favourites #2

Its Friday again and I am glad the week is finally over. It was jam packed with loads of stuff, so now is the time to put the feet up and relax a bit me thinks. This week I've been really enjoying this lovely list of bits;

Site: One Click At A Time
This is a site thats well worth checking out. There are many like it, but I found this one to have a variety of things to choose. You simply go and 'click', thats all. By doing so you are donating to a cause, but you are not paying yourself. Have a look and maybe visit if you are bored.

Food: Muller Rice
Need I say more? I got a pack of 6 on offer in Tesco for €3.00 that has 3 plain and 3 strawberry. I have been munching my way through them all week and can safely say I love opening the fridge to have a root and find something yummy!

Blog: Sprinkle Of Glitter

I love to follow all types of blogs and this one is a must-read for me. Louise is a beauty guru who also is part of the YouTube family. I would go check her out here if you love fashion and beauty. She also blogs and makes videos with her little girl, 'Baby Glitter' - and we all know I'm a sucker for anything cute!

Game: Shark Dash

This game is for iPhones and Android phones. As far as I know its only free for Android users and under a euro otherwise. I was introduced to it the other day by a friend and its just so addictive! The aim of the game is to get the shark to eat ducks by jumping through hoops and up in the air past platforms. Its fun and easy to use - at first! I think it attracts me as well by the animations of how cartoon-like the animals are and how funny they look. 

Thing: The Winter Sales

I bagged myself some great bargins in the sales, both in the shops and online. I had a brilliant time in Boots with my Advantage Card points and a gift voucher, picking up a few bits for myself and some presents for my January birthday people! A little poke around Asos and I came away with a beautiful dress that was better then half price. Once the post man comes I will have a show and tell!

Product: Herbal Essences Seductively Straight Hair Mask

I picked this up a few weeks ago as I was looking for an intensive hair treatment and it was on special offer. This gem has been my go-to hair treat that keeps it soft and shiny. You can read all about it over here.

Thats all from me for now, I hope you all have a fab weekend and go try something new!