Ojon Damage Reverse Shampoo & Conditioner

Ojon is a brand I haven't heard too much of, other than seeing their hair oil crop up on different bloggers' sites. If you have your hair frequently coloured like I do, hair restoration treatments are a must-have, making trying the Damage Reverse Restorative Shampoo and Conditioner* a top priority.

Although this particular size product comes in a pack so they cannot be sold separately, it did provide  me with a great trial amount. Packed with coconut and wheat protein that aims to smooth rough cuticles and begin repairing your hair whilst in the shower. 

I found my hair felt silky and a great deal stronger after application. The scent isn't as strong as other treatments I've tried, but it felt as though it was more important to treat my hair as opposed to masking it with a strong scent. Because I have dip-dyed hair, the ends had to be bleached making them dry and quite brittle. I focused on my ends especially whilst conditioning, and they felt a lot softer and my hair was easily manageable.

However, it's just so expensive! 250ml bottles of the shampoo are priced at £20, with the conditioner selling for £21.50. Regardless of the ingredients, I think this is an extortionate price for the results. Yes, it did help my hair, but I feel that with weekly deep-conditioning treatments I could achieve the same results without paying over £40.

I am overall impressed with the product, but will not be purchasing the full sized product due to the over-pricing. It's good, but not revolutionary as it claims to be - I think i'll be sticking to my high-street shampoo and conditioner sets!

You can purchase Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Shampoo & Conditioner from your local Boots, John Lewis or online from their official website here.

Lush's 'Winter Wonderland' Christmas Box!

Just a quick one from me!

It's no secret that I'm a big Lush fan, and nothing beats a good batch of products that are wrapped in colourful wrapping paper with a flashy bow! Winter Wonderland* is just one of the many limited edition Christmas gift boxes that Lush have to offer this year, and I love nothing more than to read through all the labels and read what combinations that are on offer.

Winter Wonderland is wrapped in vintage-style wrapping paper and  contains two products designed to combat the effects that the harsh winter weather can have on your skin. Amoungst the marzipan scented styrophome lies Dream Cream and  Snowcake. Although both have achieved cult product status, it was the Dream Cream that made me the most excited. Named the number one Lush product, I remember during my work experience there were countless people flooding in from the nearby tattoo shop who requested this as they felt it was the only way it was soothe their new tattoos. It contains cooling oat, along with cocoa butter and a blend of calming essential oils, suitable for sensitive skin that's been exposed to bitter December wind.

I've never tried Snowcake soap, although it has been a Christmas best seller for years. Packed with rose, coconut oil and the scent of warm marzipan, this is a great accompaniment for Dream Cream. The flecks of gold glitter make it perfect for adding a festive sparkle to your skin after your shower, or you could just break off a piece, leave in a room and let the gorgeous Christmassy smell resonate through the air!

For the bargain price of £6.95, you'd be crazy not to get your hands on this, whether it be for a friend or just a little treat for yourself. Happy Christmas!

You can get your hands on Winter Wonderland from your nearest Lush store or online here.

Benefit's 'She's so... Jetset!'

First of all, I want to apologise for my absence. I've been going through some personal things, amoungst moving back home for Christmas from University and going on holiday for my birthday (I will be sure to do a post later on!), so i've been extremely busy. However, i'm now home and have made sure I will get this blog back on track as we move into 2013!

With my holiday fast approaching along with my 21st, my friends thought it was fitting to give me an amazing travel-themed giftset from Benefit - 'She's so...Jetset!'*. This is one of their limited edition Christmas sets and I feel really fortunate to have amazing friends that understand just how excited I get over these things!

 

 (Sorry for the bad sizing of the images, can't seem to suss it out!)

'She's so... Jetset!' is a compilation of Benefit goodies in convenient travel sizes. Perfect for girls on the go, this kit is everything you need to stay vibrant and fresh-faced during your travels. I love the vintage feel of the box, complete with air-stewardesses and little planes dotted around the edges. The kit contains:

• The POREfessional - Primer (7.5ml)
• Eyeshadow Pallette - 'Champagne Please', 'Gold Card', 'Pretty in Mink', 'Elegant Expresso'
• 'First-Class face powder' - Blush and highlighter combination
• They're Real! - Mascara (4g)
• 'Life on the A-List' - Lip gloss
• Double-ended applicator
• Powder brush
• Instructions

Shocking how much can fit in such a small space! I've linked in previous reviews and will review the remaining items in-depth in a separate post, i'm just wanting to give a general overview! The 'in-flight instructions allow quick application, and give hints to achieve amazing results (For example, tilting your head back to easily find the crease in your eyelid - may seem a simple one, but you'd be surprised how many people fail to find it properly!) along with instructions to go from day to night with the eyeshadow palette. Unfortunately, being a blogger I didn't have time to photograph it in time to be able to take it on holiday with me, but as i'm constantly travelling this little kit is going to fit snugly in my handbag and with the enclosed mirror I can apply frequent touch-ups!

The set is quite pricey at £29.50, but any Benefit user will know that this is a standard price for them. With the travel-sized 'They're Real!' being approximately £13 on its own, its understandable. The POREfessional is easily one of my staple products, and the lip glosses are of high-quality and achieve fantastic pigmentation. This shade will be perfect for the day-time, allowing an natural look that is essentially effortless!

Overall this is a great little gift for anyone whose going away in the new year, or spends more time on a train than they do in their house (Yes, that's me!) - a great combination of high quality products that's bound to score you major brownie points at Christmas!

You can purchase 'She's so...Jetset!' from your local Benefit counter or online here.

Lush's 'Big' Shampoo

Since i've decided to grow out my fringe and attempt a middle parting, i've been obsessed with adding volume. Keeping your hair sleek and straight is great with a fringe, but it's difficult to pull of that look without your hair looking like a pair of curtains. I'd had recommendations of Lush's 'Big' Shampoo from various other bloggers who had used it, due to its inclusion of actual sea salt.

Yes, I know what you're thinking: "Sea salt shampoo?! How is that even possible?" To be honest, I thought the same thing. Sea salt spray is designed to help you achieve a tousled look, giving you beachy waves. However, this shampoo promised to give you both amazing volume and super-soft locks that are easy to get a brush through.

 

The extremely rich shampoo is packed to the brim with real sea salt, however it is carefully balanced with seaweed, coconut, and fresh lemon and lime to ensure shine and softness, which enables you to have the volume of sea salt shampoo without the rough texture you would expect. It is most definitely the most fragrant shampoo I own, with extracts of vanilla, mandarin, neroli and orange flower. With all of the brilliant reviews this product had been given, it was safe to say I could not wait to get in the shower and give it a go!

Here are some photos to show you how it went:

This is how my hair usually looks. Although i'm going to do an in-depth post on what products I use to give my hair more volume, i've used a standard volumising shampoo, followed by a volumising mousse and finished off with a bit of sea salt spray at the roots. This is what I do to my hair on a regular basis in my constant battle with my limp locks to add more volume!

 

There isn't a lot of difference from my hair here to the previous picture, but here I have used the 'Big' shampoo and no other products. The fact that the same amount the volume (If anything, a little bit more!) with a single product as opposed to three is incredible. I had to refrain from using volumising mousse and seasalt spray to achieve even greater results, but I wanted to show the difference a single product can make. 

This is most definitely an all-time favourite product of mine. You are instructed to shampoo twice, and the lather is so moisturising it feels like it can almost double up as a shower gel.  It is so fragrant it makes shower a really relaxing experience, and massaging it in feels almost like a spa treatment! Once you've finished shampooing, it does get a bit worrying as you find yourself picking out the odd bit of sea salt that hasn't dissolved, and your hair hair is so squeaky clean it sounds like your cleaning a window - your hair literally squeaks. However, once i'd blow-dried my hair, I was shocked at how much lift it had. It was incredibly soft, smelt amazing (Thanks to two shampoo's!) and had just achieved a great amount of volume. Obviously with more products such as a mousse or thickening hairspray it would have achiever greater height, but sometimes the more product you use adds more weight to the hair so ideally less is more.

The only slightly negative comment I have on this product is that you must prepare for an insane amount of lather! However, as Lush products are much more environmentally friendly than other manufacturers it doesn't bother me as much. As well as this, the lather is very rich and moisturising, as opposed to just bubbles!

Salt is a natural preservative, so this shampoo requires no synthetic preservatives, which is just one of the many reasons why I love this product. In my personal opinion this product feels like it could be a bit taxing on the hair if used every day, so I usually use this once or twice a week for a sort of treatment. I could be wrong, but it just feels very thick, and could weigh my hair down if used more regularly. Overall a really impressive product at a reasonable £11.25 for a massive 330g (The lather is so thick only a small amount is needed each time!). A must have for anyone with limp or fine hair - pop it on your Christmas list!

You can purchase 'Big' Shampoo from your local Lush store or online here for £11.25.