A £1.99 Aussie Dupe?

I am a self proclaimed bargain hunter and I love finding ways to save money - what's not to love about getting results and the things you want whilst also saving a penny or two in the process?  With that in mind, I just had to share you a product that I recently discovered which I believe to be a pretty bang-on dupe for a much loved product from a popular haircare brand. I'm talking about this shampoo and conditioner pair from none other than Aldi. Aldi, you heard correctly!  I believe this duo to be a dupe for an Aussie range of shampoo and conditioners. Aldi's brand is called "Carino" and this duo is from their Moisture range of hair products which I'm pretty sure is basically their version of Aussie's Miracle Moisture collection.  Similarly, both products contain Australian Macadamia Nut Oil and are aimed at those of us with hair that's a little damaged and dry. On top of that, Aldi's Carino version also contains added aloe vera too. One of the most obvious similarities if of course the packaging and it is indeed very reminiscent of the design of Aussie bottles and this I''m sure is what draws people into trying them.

So then, are they as good Aussie? Well, I'd say so, yes. 
I can safely say that my hair felt just as soft, moisturised and conditioned as it does when I use Aussie's range. The shampoo cleanses the hair well and foams up nicely and the conditioner has that detangling effect as you apply it which I always look out for. My hair feels silky soft as I wash the products out and when my hair is dry, it definitely feels softer and with a little more added bounce. The one thing for me makes me particularly love Aussie as a brand so much is the wonderful scents of their products. The first Aussie product I ever tried had their infamous bubblegum scent to it and I fell in love. These babies have that very same smell though it is a little more.. 'chemically'. 

Aldi's Carino Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner retails at Aldi stores for just £1.99 each for 300ml - over HALF the price of Aussie's original version which retails at Boots for £4.19 for 300ml. And for a product that pretty much performs the same, I'd recommend you pop over to Aldi and bag yourself a saving!

REVIEW: Moroccanoil Extra Volume Shampoo and Conditioner

Hi everyone! In today's post, I'll be bringing you a review on two products that I have recently tried from the brand Moroccanoil. As you may know in a previous post, I showed you a mini set that I purchased from the brand that contained samples of various different products. Within that set was their Extra Volume Shampoo and Conditioner and that's what I'll be reviewing for you today.

So, the shampoo and conditioner themselves are specifically designed to increase volume in fine hair. The troubles of fine hair is something I am all too familiar with  - my thin hair finds it really difficult to hold volume as well as certain styles so I always need the help of styling products. 

Moroccanoil describe their shampoo and conditioner as products that contain the antioxidant Argan oil as well as several nutrients that together help to clean, detangle and bring back body to the hair. They also promise that the duo will bring shine to the hair as well as provide it with manageability and movement. The formulas of the shampoo and conditioner are free of any sulfates, phosphates and parabens.

First Impressions:

One of the main reasons I wanted to try products from Moroccanoil is because of their well known reputation for products that hydrate and bring back life to dry, damaged hair. As a person who heat styles and colours their hair, this is an important factor for me as these things can really take their toll. Argan oil is well known for it's moisturising and nourishing properties and the products' lack of parabens and sulfates is another element that made me want to go ahead and give them a go. 

- Sulfates, phosphates and parabens are known to dry out the hair in the long term and can also strip and fade colour so I was pleased to see that these ingredients were not contained within both the shampoo and conditioner. -

Upon inspecting the products initially, one of my first thoughts was that I liked their packaging. It's simplistic and looks sophisticated in my mind and really has that air of luxury to it. I like the contrast of white and teal, too and overall I think it's nicely designed. 

The smell of these products isn't overpowering and is actually very pleasant to the senses - while I can't quite place what the scent is that I'm smelling (it could be the oils), I can safely say that it is nice.

Use and Results:

Starting with the Shampoo, the first thing I noticed was that it didn't really lather as much as I expected or would have liked it to. I like a shampoo to really lather up on my scalp because I feel it's easier to apply and to know that I'm getting it all over my hair. I had to use essentially two 'pumps' of this shampoo for the top and bottom of my hair as I found it hard to apply everywhere because of this factor. Usually, I need one pump - especially considering I have short, thin hair so for those with thicker and longer hair, this could mean you'd need even more. Despite this however, my hair did feel clarified and cleansed well so I think the shampoo did a very good job at it's overall purpose.

Now on to the Conditioner - and to be honest... I absolutely loved it! 

Instantly upon application, it detangled my hair as if by magic. Once applied, I could easily run my fingers through my hair with ease and I really felt an instant burst of moisture. When I washed it out, my hair was silky soft - more so than with any other conditioner I've probably ever tried - as if I was using an intensive mask. 

My hair was not greasy at all and once dried looked shinier, felt utterly smooth and soft and definitely had some added volume. The ends of my hair (which I have the most trouble with) were noticeably softer, too. I don't think I can praise this conditioner enough - I'm definitely in love with it! So much so in fact, that I promptly went out a bought a bigger size of it from Selfridges.

Conclusions:

So, overall I am very pleased with these products - though definitely more so the conditioner out of the two. I probably wouldn't repurchase the shampoo because I feel as if there are cheaper alternatives that do the same job. However, I have the highest praises for the conditioner and would definitely recommend it especially if you have dry or damaged and / or thin hair and find some conditioners too heavy or greasy. 

It is pricey at around £19.35 (HQ Hair) for 250ml - but if you wash your hair 2-3 times a week anyway like me, it doesn't work out as that bad. If you still think it's a bit of splurge (which yeah, it kind of is) I'd suggest perhaps buying the mini set that I bought to see if it's worth it for you first. You can purchase the Volume Mini Set from Selfridges stores for £25.00 and you get to try out 4 products in total - (one of which is worth over £13 alone).

Have you ever tried any Moroccanoil products? 

Review: Tigi Bed Head Epic Volume Shampoo & Conditioner

Hey! Now, I know it's a beauty blog and all, but I've been talking an awful lot about makeup recently and I thought it's about time I wrote about something hair related...

So I got this duo from Look Fantastic and I have to say right off the bat that this stuff smells FANTASTIC. It is heavenly, it truly is. It smells like you're washing your hair with strawberries, and candy floss and all sorts of beautifully delicious smelling treats. So yeah, it's sweet (think along the lines of Lush's Snow Fairy if you're into that) and very pleasant to use in my opinion. Of course, if sweet smelling hair doesn't sound good to you, then I'd steer clear because this scent does stick around. I'm pretty sure though that I'd buy these products are purely for their lovely smell so as you may already have guessed, I like it a lot.

Now, perhaps we should get into how it actually works and stuff, eh? So Tigi's Epic Volume Shampoo and Conditioner is of course made to provide your hair with volume and body. It promises to thicken your hair, boost volume and give you bounce and fullness without the heaviness. As a girl with thin hair, volume is definitely something I struggle with gaining and maintaining so this is one of the main reasons I wanted to try these. Upon application, the shampoo is very creamy and lathers well - though I tend to need to use around 1 and a half pumps. Similarly, I use around 2 pumps of conditioner though I do still find both easy to apply to the hair. The shampoo is sulphate is free which is something I've been looking for more in hair products because sulphate shampoos and conditioners can be very drying and damaging on the hair. However, I'm pretty sure that the conditioner is not sulphate free so that's something to bare in mind.

I do think that the shampoo and conditioner provided me with volume and I definitely see and feel more body and fullness within it. Whether it's epic? Maybe not that far - but I'm still happy with the results as I am noticing a difference nonetheless. I haven't actually blow dried after using these products so perhaps that would really provide you with some mega volume if that's what you're going for. I don't however blow dry my hair but I think the fact that I still notice a difference without that means it would most likely definitely do something for those of you that do!

So, the price of this shampoo and conditioner is on the expensive side - at £24.50 (LookFantastic), they are definitely an investment but there are still products out there that are definitely a lot more expensive. You do also get a generous 750ml per bottle which is definitely going to last you a while so I feel like that does even it out a little bit. As well as that, this shampoo definitely does something and the smell is divine - I consider it luxurious because of all these things so it's something to consider a treat for your hair as well. I think at the end of it all, it depends what you're looking for in haircare - if you're not bothered about your shampoo and conditioner then maybe this isn't for you or perhaps it would be a better gift. If on the other hand you're looking for something luxurious and something that's gonna smell great and do a specific job, I'd give this a go. You can buy a smaller 250ml version of each product too if you're wanting something a little less pricey to try out. Overall, I love this duo and it's definitely going to stay in my hair product rotation!