Shampoo Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Conversations through the middle

Beauty round-up – hair, make-up and fragrance

July 11, 2012

For frizzy hair sufferers everywhere (including myself), Tresemme has introduced Keratin Smooth, a product range that comprises a shampoo, conditioner, treatment masque and heat protection shine spray.

According to Tresemme, a third of women in the UK are “desperate” for products that straighten and smooth unruly hair – I know I’m still looking for a magic potion to help me tame my tresses, but as to whether this is it, well I’ll have to report back at a later date. Keratin Smooth is in store now.

For anyone experiencing withdrawal symptoms for Sex and the City, the HBO shop has come to your rescue with its new Sunrise and Sunset fragrances – the latest additions to the Sex and the City body collections that were launched late last year.

Sunrise is described as capturing the feel of “a laid-back brunch in a sun-drenched outdoor cafe in Manhattan” presumably without the smell of food, while Sunset features notes of freesia, vanilla orchid, muguet, woody amber and tonka, to capture “the soft and warm beauty of sundown reflected in the iconic skyline of New York City”.

I take their word for it as when it comes to fragrance I’m rubbish at recognising the notes, top, middle or base. Both versions are on sale now at www.store.hbouk.com.

If you’re lucky enough to have curls rather than frizz then this might be for you. New Prep Curl Defining Oil from Toni & Guy nourishes, smooths and conditions curls, whether you style your hair or leave it to dry naturally. It may well work on frizzy hair too – though that’s just my guess, the company doesn’t claim it does.

Simply apply the product to damp hair and dry. It’s non-greasy, which is a plus point, and it’s in Boots stores now.

Duo mineral blushers in L – R: Radiant Rose, Pink Blush,
Sweet Apricot and Caramel Fudge

Duo Mineral eye shadows in L – R: Everglade, Rich Tamarind,
Juicy Plum, Purple Passion, Moonlight and Ultra Marine

I’m always happy to hear of new products from Beauty Without Cruelty. The company has just released a collection of eye shadows and blushers that team a natural mineral formula with cruelty-free principles.

The six eye shadows and four blushers are talc-free, long lasting and easy to apply, and they are available now from the online store at www.bwcshop.com.

I’m thrilled to see this brand continue to evolve and embrace the latest make-up trends, without compromising any of its ethics. I remember Beauty Without Cruelty from the 1980s when the products were perhaps not as good as those of the competition. That has changed and BWC is now up there with the bigger brands in terms of ingredients, colours and product range. Their cosmetics are also easier to get hold of now than they were back in the day. Find them in stores nationwide.

Beauty round-up – nails, face and hair

July 9, 2012

New gel polish brand Belle Gel has launched a kit designed to give you salon perfect nails at home. This handy product contains everything needed to create beautiful, high-shine nails in 12 on-trend colours.

I was at the launch of Belle Gel so heard about the kit first hand from company founder Susan Tompkins and I was impressed by her obvious dedication to her product. It was six years in development and has just gone on sale via the Belle Gel website.

While application obviously takes longer than when using a regular nail varnish, it is not complicated and the results can last up to two weeks. The kit comes with a UV lamp for curing or drying the nail colour, as well as cleanser for preparing your nails, primer, gel remover, brush, cuticle pen and nail file. There’s also one colour included – deep red – to start you off and I bet you won’t be able to resist buying others. I particularly like the Midnight Blue and Mocha shades, and the Burnt Orange would look great on holiday with a tan.

I can’t wait to create a gel manicure at home and I’ll report back on how it goes. In the meantime though you can find out more here.

Boots 17 is gearing up for the festive party season with the launch of Dazzle The Night, a limited edition collection full of shimmer and sparkle.

I love the Shimmer Rocks – frosty pink and pearl nuggets that you apply as blusher or simply swirl over your face for an ethereal glow. There’s also Wishing Star and Glimmer in the Night – they sound like they should be rock songs, but they’re actually nail colours that are full of party sparkle. The collection is on sale from the end of November.

Also from 17, the Smokey Eye Palette is spot on for creating that dramatic come hither look that has been around a while, but shows no sign of disappearing and is perfect for parties.

The new Colour Radiance collection from Dove promises to help keep dyed hair looking good for longer. As someone who has to colour her hair (thanks to genes from dad’s side of the family – he was grey by the time he was 23), I’m really pleased to see an affordable range of products to use at home.

I have to colour my hair every six weeks or so and it is difficult to keep it looking shiny after the first few days, so anything that helps keep that glossy, happy feeling has to be good. I haven’t tried the products, but there are four in the range – shampoo, conditioner, intensive conditioner and leave-in conditioning and care spray. They all contain something the company calls colour revitaliser technology and it’s claimed, keep colour vibrant for up to 10 weeks. Colour Radiance is in store now.

Help support good causes with The Body Shop’s Dragon Fruit Lip Butter. Every purchase of the product will see a donation to one of three charities: Kidscape, BUAV, or People & Planet. The great thing is though, you get to choose where your money goes as there will be a voting box in each store, so you can follow your conscience as well as pampering your lips.

All of the profits from the lip butters will go to charity, through The Body Shop Foundation, which was set up in 1989 and has so far donated more than £19 million to around 2,500 organisations.

Lisa Jackson, the foundation’s CEO, says the product “is a great way to extend the reach of our global funding by reaching people directly”. She adds: “Through The Body Shop Foundation lip butter we can reach more grassroots charities with more money.”

Sounds good to me. They’re on sale from August.www.thebodyshop.com

Luxury haircare

October 16, 2009

Tigi is one of my favourite haircare brands – not least because the products smell so good. Their new S-factor Diamond Dreams shampoo and conditioner is fab, with exotic ingredients such as cashmere, Champagne, diamonds and pearls – I felt like a million dollars after using it.

Meanwhile, big hair is back according to the catwalks, and a volumising spray such as Bed Head Superstar Queen For A Day Volumising Spray, together with Superstar Blow Dry Lotion, will help you get a head for heights.

One of my all-time Tigi favourites is Bed Head Brunette Goddess shampoo and conditioner – because I am of course and because it smells of toffee.