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Curiously Carmen

Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair Dye

May 20, 2016

Would you believe that I’ve never dyed my hair at home before? Yup, I never have… until now! When Schwarzkopf approached me about their new spring Colour Ultime hair collection, I decided to give at home hair dying a go and also lighten my hair up a bit for the summer!

The shade I chose was 3.8- velvet brown.
Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair DyeThe box and package of the hair dye was pretty standard, just like any other boxed hair dye. It also shows you how the hair colour would look on you depending on how dark/light your hair is.

My package also came with an accompaniment of shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair. I used to dye my hair quite often back in high school/early university years. Whenever my hair was dyed, I made sure to always use shampoo for coloured hair.

This makes a great difference in how the hair colour turns out, and how long the colour lasts. So, I definitely recommend getting a  shampoo for coloured hair if you plan on dying your hair!

Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair DyeThe Schwarzkopf Colour Ultime hair dye came with a clear and detailed instruction sheet, applicator bottle with developer lotion already inside, the squeeze bottle of the hair dye, gloves, and after care hair elixir.

Set up is really easy, you just squeeze the hair dye into the applicator bottle. Then, shake the bottle vigourously until the developer lotion and hair dye are mixed well.

Since it was my first time trying at home hair dye, I enlisted the help of my trusted and experienced friend to make sure the process went as smooth as possible! I definitely recommend having someone to help, as it would be a bit more difficult to evenly distribute the dye throughout your hair yourself.
Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair DyeI also recommend dying your hair in an old tshirt, just in case you accidentally get hair dye on it. Or, you could wear a garbage bag/plastic poncho thingy to protect your clothes as well. Since I had my friend helping me, it was a very clean and fast process!

I won’t go super detailed into the application process, but it was very smooth. We were both really surprised at how good the Schwarzkopf dye smelled, as were preparing for the familiar chemical smell of hair dye. There was a small hint of it, but definitely not as strong as at the salon, or with other at home hair dyes my friend had used in the past.
Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair DyeAfter evenly distributing the hair dye, your hair should look something like this! I then left it in my hair for 30 minutes, which was the recommended time.

Thirty minutes later, I washed my hair out with warm water (they recommended warm water) and used the shampoo and conditioner as well! Again, the shampoo and conditioner smelled very pleasant with a hint of coconut. As previously mentioned, the box comes with the after care elixir, which is a deep conditioning treatment. There is enough in the tube for 3-4 uses, depending on how long/thick your hair is.
Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair Dye
Ta-daaaa! Here is the final result! My hair is naturally pretty dark, so I wasn’t sure if the hair dye would show up or not. But, I’m glad it did! In the sunlight, it is more noticeable though.

I love the new lighter colour and it is definitely fitting as we get into summer! If you’re planning on dying your hair at home, I recommend giving Schwarzkopf a try!

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Thanks for reading,

Carmen

Media samples featured. Opinions are own. 


Filed Under: hair Tagged: beauty blog, beauty blogger, hair, hair dye, schwarzkopf

TRESemmé Reverse Beauty-Full Volume system

February 29, 2016

Happy Leap Day!!! This is the first time a post has ever been published on February 29th here on Curiously Carmen 🙂 The next time this happens will be in 4 years, I wonder where Curiously Carmen will be in 2020!

——

I’ve used TRESemmé for many years back in high school. It was all my mom ever bought because it was pretty cheap for a large bottle, and we love to save money wherever we can! I ended up using the same line for so many years that eventually my hair built tolerance to it, and found my hair got oily faster. I was also getting tired of the smell after so long, and finally ended up buying my own drugstore shampoo instead.

TRESemmé has recently launched a new line of hair products called the Beauty-Full Volume system. This is my first time coming back to TRESemmé after a couple years, even though I have used it occasionally when I ran out of my usual shampoo and used my mom’s. I have been trying out this new line for a bit over a week now, and here is what I thought of it!

TRESemmé Reverse Beauty-Full Volume systemWhat sets this line apart from other products is that you are supposed to use the conditioner first, and then shampoo! Following the proper steps will lead to what TRESemmé describes as ‘bouncy, touchable hair’.
TRESemmé Reverse Beauty-Full Volume systemStep 1)  TRESemmé Beauty-Full Volume Pre-Wash Conditioner: As mentioned above, you are supposed to condition your hair first. I liked that this came in a pump bottle, as it was easy to dispense the product. It has a clear but slightly thick consistency to it.

After using 2-3 pumps and leaving this on for one minute as you would with any conditioner, you rinse it off. Since I have an oily hair type, I only used this starting from the middle of my hair, down to the tips. As I washed the conditioner off, I instantly felt my hair transform into something more soft and ‘flowing’, if that makes any sense.

TRESemmé Reverse Beauty-Full Volume systemStep 2)  TRESemmé Beauty-Full Volume Shampoo: Following is the shampoo! I wished that the shampoo came with a pump as well, but no big deal. I squirted some product into my hand first, about the size of a Canadian quarter. Then, I lathered it into my hair.

I love the smell of this shampoo! It smells very refreshing, and reminds me of green apple. Not too feminine, so males in the household could use this as well. I found that it lathered quite a bit, which made me feel like it did a great job in cleaning.
TRESemmé Reverse Beauty-Full Volume systemStep 3) TRESemmé Beauty-Full Volume Hair Maximizer: After getting out of the shower, apply the maximizer to damp hair, then blow dry. I normally don’t put product in my hair after I wash it, but this would be good on special occasions where I want my hair to look a bit nicer!

I found that the maximizer further softened my hair and it also tamed flyaways.

Overall, I really like TRESemmé’s new line and could see myself continuing to use it. I love the fresh scent, and how volumized, clean and soft my hair looks!

Even after twelve hours of wash, I can still smell the shampoo on my hair and my hair feels nice and light, but volumized at the same time. My friend also commented that my hair looked more volumized too!

yay-nay-or-meh

Yay!

Thanks for reading!

Carmen


Filed Under: hair Tagged: beauty, beauty blogger, conditioner, drugstore, hair, hair care, haircare, shampoo, tresemme

Babyliss Pro Argan Oil ( vs. Moroccan Oil)

May 10, 2014

My hairstylist recently introduced me to argan oil. I was in shock when she told me that argan oil and Moroccanoil (Yes it’s spelled like that without the space) are the exact same thing.

I’ve heard many things about Moroccanoil, but not too much about argan oil. “Moroccan oil” is just the company name, while argan oil is the actual ingredient in it that gives your hair that healthy shine and condition. The ingredients in the Moroccan oil brand are very, very similar to the Babyliss Pro Argan Oil.

My hairstylist told me that if I wanted to buy argan oil, to go with the Babyliss one because it does the exact same thing as the Moroccanoil, just that it is not as marketed and cheaper.
DSCN0936I purchased my Babyliss argan oil from Kingdom Beauty Supply, a wholesale beauty supply store that sells professional hair products for hair stylists. Since you do need to be a hairstylist to be able to buy the products (unless you have a personal contact like I did), another place to try would be hair salons or the internet.

I tried looking on their website but it didn’t even give an option for Canadian stores. It’s a pretty crappy site as opposed to the Morrocanoil site, which is tailored to consumers. They were having a sale on their products, which was 2 for $20 (I think original price is $15 a bottle).

DSCN0938When comparing the ingredients in Babyliss and Moroccanoil, they are very, very similar. They both contain the same type of argania spinosa kernel oil.  It just goes to show how powerful beauty marketing is and to always check labels. You could save yourself a lot of money by doing that. I got the ingredient list for Moroccanoil online.

Now, time for my actual review on the Babyliss Pro argan oil. ft polka the cat (remember him?)! Yay! I am very low maintenance with my hair. I don’t ever style my own hair unless it’s just a straightener or crimper. I’ve battled with my hair curler for years now, and I still have not mastered how to curl my hair nicely. Needless to say, I never buy hair styling products. I’ve dyed my hair over 15 times in my life, so my hair is pretty damaged. But, I was sold on this one because of how healthy and shiny my hair looked afterwards.
photo (16)The application process is so painless and easy (another main reason why I bought this). After washing your hair, you just spray the product onto your hair and blow dry it.

Then, watch the magic happen, DONE! 🙂 I took this picture after my hair appointment, with the argan oil. I noticed that my hair looked a lot healthier, shinier, and felt a lot softer after using this product.
babylissOf course, sunlight can be deceiving so I took another picture back inside my room. I think my hair still looks shinier and healthier than without out. On the bottle, it claims to be lightweight, non-greasy, gives instant shine, hydrates, conditions, eliminates frizz, and repairs damaged hair. Furthermore, it provides thermal protection while reducing drying time and provides colour protection. In my opinion, Babyliss pro argan oil does all that it claims in their packaging. What’s not to love about this product?! =)

Pros:
-Leaves hair very soft, conditioned, and shiny
-Smooths out frizziness
-Protects hair from heat products
-Does not leave an oily residue, feels very lightweight/non-greasy after applying
-Cheaper than Moroccanoil, which essentially does the same thing
-A little goes a long way, making the bottle last longer

Cons:
-Not sold in retail stores, a bit hard to find
-If you’re used to buying drugstore products, you might find this product a bit overpriced

-Carmen


Filed Under: body, hair Tagged: argan oil, babyliss pro, beauty, beauty product, beauty review, damaged hair, dry hair, frizzy hair, hair, hair care, hair mask, hair products, hair salon, hair treatment, healthy hair, heat protection, moroccan oil, moroccanoil

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