Cheap Thrills! Boots Ingredients Coconut and Almond Intensive Hair Mask

Once again I've come across something that's both deliciously scented and affordable, this time in the form of a rich, gooey, nourishing hair mask.

The Boots Ingredients range is one that I've always overlooked for some reason, but since I squeezed out the last of my Alberto Balsam Intensive Conditioner I was on the hunt for something cheap to cheer up my dyed-within-an-inch-of-its-life hair.

Enter Boots Ingredients Coconut and Almond Intensive Hair Mask.

Long name? Yes.

Expensive? Non!

A generous 350ml tub of this glossy mask is priced at a measly £1.99 and I'm here to tell you that this stuff is  more than worth its weight in Advantage Card Points.

After shampooing my hair and squeezing out excess water, I pop a handful of this gooey goodness on the ends and massage it up to the roots.

For a serious treat, it should be left to work its magic for a few minutes, otherwise it's really lovely as an everyday conditioner that doesn't weigh my hair down.

I'm seriously happy with the results of this hair mask - once dry, my hair is smooth, incredibly soft (even the bits that were dip-dyed and bleached) and smells delicious and coconut-y.

If you've got normal/ dry hair and you've not tried this yet, hop along to your nearest Boots and grab it.

It's cheaper than a cup of coffee, and almost as satisfying ;)

Edit (02.17): unfortunately this super cheap hair mask is no longer available but you can find it's replacement here at Boots.

Thanks for reading!

Cheap Thrills: alberto balsam intensive conditioning treatment

So my hair has been looking a bit frizzy lately, especially at the front where I had it bleached within an inch of its life after Christmas. Observe:

I got over the blonde bits pretty quickly, so figured I'd just whack some BLACK DYE over the bleach, and everything would return to normal, right? Wrong!

Firstly, the dye simply won't stick to the bleached bits and 'permanent' colours rinse out to a light/ medium brown colour after a couple of washes, so I now have black hair with brown bits at the front :/

Secondly, the parts at the front are a bit fried and frizzy and the strands literally break in my hands when I'm washing it. :0

What to do? I needed an intensive conditioner, and I needed it fast.

I would love to have waltzed into a salon and indulged in a half hour treatment while munching on complimentary biscuits and flicking through Elle, but my budget simply won't allow such privileges, so I told myself that I will have to find the solution at Boots, using only the points on my Boots Card.

Problem? I had only £2.23 on my rewards card.

Solution? Alberto Balsam intensive conditioning treatment for £1.07.

I have been known to be a bit of a hair care snob, and usually make a bee line for the pricey (but travel sized) salon brands, so I haven't used anything by Alberto Balsam for a while, but I really couldn't be happier with this product.

Containing extracts of almond & honey, this treatment is rich, thick and nourishing and claims to repair damage (which is what I need), smooth the hair cuticle and restore softness, manageability and shine.

It's super easy to use - just squeeze out a generous helping, and put it on your hair, concentrating on the nasty bits. Leave for a few minutes, then rinse.

The consistency is thick and luxurious

I used this last night, and I can honestly report that my hair feels considerably softer and silkier, though I think my bleached parts are beyond help and I'm going to have to wait that one out!

All in all, this treatment is lovely and an absolute bargain. The best aspect of it, in my humble opinion is the scent - it smells just like honey and almonds (funny that).

I would definitely buy this again.

Have you tried this treatment, or something similar?


Thank you for reading :)


Hannah Rose xxx

Tousle Me Softly

The marketing team at Herbal Essences deserve a gold star, because the advertisement for the new Tousle Me Softly range had me at hello.

Conveniently, I ran out of shampoo & conditioner a few days ago, so I was left with no other option than to pop in to Boots and spend my hard earned card points so I could test drive this new range.

To be honest, I'm not usually a huge Herbal Essences fan (I'm a bit of a Mark Hill/ Umberto Giannini junkie), but I was intrigued by the 'violet' components of Tousle Me Softly.

The Shampoo & Conditioner are currently 1/2 price at Boots! :o

The Shampoo and Conditioner combine pomegranate and wild violet to refresh and moisturise tresses and promise to produce that sought after just-had-a-roll-in-the-hay effortlessness.

So does it come through with the goods?

First off, I love the smell. It's fairly strong with a pleasant and floral scent that I kept smelling throughout the day when I swished my hair about.
The shampoo feels clarifying, yet gentle and the conditioner left my hair almost impossibly soft.

Having a tousle! *sorry, rubbish camera today*

But what about the 'tousle' effect? Did I feel like wearing garish purple eyeliner and fronting a rock band while swinging my hair around in slow motion? Not quite. But my hair did feel baby soft and light and messy in a pretty way. It looks super shiny and healthy too :)

My verdict? All in all, a 'totally organic experience'. That was the old tagline wasn't it?

Have you tried anything from the Tousle Me Softly range? I'd love to hear your opinions.


Thanks for reading! :*


Hannah Rose xxx

Latest in Beauty

2011 has certainly been the year of the Beauty Box - Enticing packages of deluxe samples sent  to your door every month for around £10 - it's any beauty addict's dream come true. I've definitely been tempted by this revolutionary concept and of course I've already succumbed to the allure of Boudoir Prive and Feel Unique, but there's another similar box of goodies doing the rounds that's definitely worth a mention.

 Latest in Beauty is a 'try before you buy' beauty service offering members a monthly box for the teeny price of £1, so now beauty lovers who have been longing to get involved with the sample box phenomenon can do so for less than the price of a bus ticket!

Of course, because the cost of the box is so tiny, the samples are generally a lot smaller than those you find in the £10 boxes, though products such as perfume vials are the same size. If you order a Latest in Beauty box, expect sachets rather than bottles and tubes, but don't let that put you off, as you'll often receive 2 to 5 sachets of one product so you can get a real feel for it.

Latest in Beauty is unique to the other boxes because you actually choose your samples - one each from the categories of skincare, make-up and fragrances and hair and body. I think this is a nice touch because you can select a product you're actually interested in, and if there isn't anything that takes your fancy, you can just check back later and pick something suitable.

I picked my samples and ordered my box on Friday and it arrived today - talk about speedy service :)

Here's a peek at my samples this month:



The Samples

SKINCARE

4 x sachets of Lavera My Age Concentrated Lifting Serum

This serum was created to lift and plump the skin, fight signs of aging and make the skin appear more youthful. I haven't tried this one yet, but I'm a bit obsessed with serums at the moment so I won't be able to hold off for long :)

HAIR & BODY

1 x sachet Nicky Clarke Moisture shampoo, 1 x sachet Nicky Clarke Moisture Conditioner

I used the Nicky Clarke shampoo and conditioner last night and I'm happy to report that it's a really nice product. I have one major criteria when it comes to hair products - that they smell nice - and this range definitely fulfills it. Containing static eliminating wheat protein and ultra nourishing Moringa oil, these products left my hair feeling (and looking) rather nice indeed! Something worth mentioning is how incredibly soft my hair felt immediately after rinsing the conditioner out. It wasn't that slimey feeling you get with some conditioners - just an undeniable softness. I realise I might sound a bit like a Pantene advert right now, but it's true!

MAKEUP & FRAGRANCES

Keraskin Immuniste Youth Drops Elixir

This is my favourite sample from Latest in Beauty so far - an extremely cute little glass bottle of Keraskin Immuniste Youth Drops.

To be used on cleansed skin before your day or night moisturiser, this serum is an extremely concentrated skin plumping superstar.  For the makeup and frangrance category, I opted for the 'mystery sample' and this is what I got (though I'm not sure what it was doing in that category), so it was a really beautiful surprise.
I love!

The glass dropper contains 4ml of the serum

Latest in Beauty operates on a pay as you go basis, and you are only charged once you have ordered your sample box. Once you've signed up, you'll not only have the chance to order your samples for only £1, but you'll also have access to product reviews, competitions and specials and of course the option to purchase the full sizes of your samples if you so happen to fall in love with them :)

Check out Latest in Beauty, if you're a beauty junkie on a budget I promise you'll love it.


Hannah Rose xxx