We ain't goin' to tha candy shop: Crazy Color in Candy Floss (65) by Renbow...

As soon as I looked in the mirror after applying Candy Floss, I knew that it would be a miss for me; I carefully applied the colour to my whole head but, as you can see, the pale pink only stuck to some of it in random spots, leaving me all patchy.

In a flash: Flashlightening 40 volume Complete Maximum Hair Lightening Kit by Manic Panic...

I mentioned a few post ago (here) that I'd bought a Flashlightening bleach kit to use on my hair to make the most out of the various shades of vivid hair colour I'd just bought, so now I'm going to attempt to try and use it without any major upsets. Wish me luck...

MANIC PANIC FLASHLIGHTNING Complete Bleach Kits were created not only to be the perfect complement to MANIC PANIC Semi Permanent Hair Colors, but also to give you a high quality hair lightening kit that will make you "Platinum Blonde like Blondie" and "as white as Andy". 

FLASHLIGHTNING is strong stuff, with 30 and 40 volume developer, guaranteeing dramatic results. To obtain the most intense colors from our MANIC PANIC Semi Permanent hair dyes we suggest you first lighten your hair with FLASHLIGHTNING Complete Bleach Kits. NO NEED TO BUY ANY EXTRAS. Complete means you get everything from developer with bleach powder to mixing tub to gloves to tint brush to cap. Along with all this comes step by step instructions, plus instructions on how to do a preliminary strand test, which is always an essential part of the process.  

TIPS Remember to shampoo out all the FLASHLIGHTNING from your hair thoroughly before you apply MANIC PANIC Hair Color. Leftover bleach residue on the hair can prevent the hair color from processing properly.  

BLEACH RESULTS ARE PERMANENT.  

Read all instructions and perform strand test before using FLASHLIGHTNING - Manic Panic

As you can see in this photo taken the day before lightening my hair, the old pink dye had mostly washed out - there were just few stubborn patches left over my failed ombre attempt, which I was too impatient to leave and wait to fade on their own. The brown in my hair is also dye, so my Flshlightening kit had a lot to work through...

I'e tried bleaching my own hair a few times over the years and have failed miserably each time, so I enlisted the help of my sister this time in the hope of a better result.

Did it work?

A dark Fantasy reboot - Fantasy: The Naughty Remix edp by Britney Spears...

Britney Spears presents two new versions of her best selling and most popular fragrance Fantasy - The Naughty Remix and The Nice Remix. 

The Naughty Remix is made for moments when you feel a bit dangerous and daring, while The Nice Remix is in touch with your softer side. Both fragrances are made to emphasize certain notes of the original - Fragrantica 

I wanted some over-head headphones for when I'm watching DVDs on my laptop, as using my in-ear ones all of the time isn't very comfortable. I was going to TK Maxx to buy some that I liked the look of, but walked by Superdrug recently and saw the various gift bags they had [gift wrapping various best-selling perfumes and past free-gifts-with-purchases together] displayed for Easter; one of the gift-sets in the window had the perfume Fantasy: The Naughty Remix paired with pink headphones.

As a fan of the original Fantasy I'd been meaning to try the new perfume out but had never gotten around to it, but seeing as the set was cheaper to buy then the similar-looking headphones in TK Maxx I made an impulsive blind buy...

Thinking pink: Renbow Crazy Color semi-permanent hair dye in Cyclamen....

I've wanted to use a pink dye on my hair for as along as I can remember [probably due to the fact that I love Jem and had all of the VHS tapes and dolls] but I'm painfully shy and suffer from anxiety issues, so have never been brave enough to do something that would make me stand out from the background - trying a few of the red and darker purple shades by Schwarzkopf was really wild for me, and that took me a few years of working up to.

Anyway now I'm 30 I've finally reached the point where I can honestly say that I don't care if people look and judge me for how I look or whatever I'm wearing, so after being left a bit underwhelmed by the results of the L'Oreal Intense Ombres kit [my fault for accidentally buying the strongest one], I decided to work with the new bleach in my hair rather then cover it back up by finally trying a shade of intense pink hair dye over it...


My first [and only as it turned out] port of call in my search for a pink hair dye was Amazon, where I found hundreds to choose between, so I narrowed it down to Crazy Color simply because it is inexpensive and if i didn't work I wouldn't be wasting loads of money. Renbow says that the Crazy Color range lasts between 4 to 8 washes, and for the low price I thought that you can't really complain with that.

After umming and ahhing over the large colour selection in the brand for a while I finally choose the shade Cyclamen as it has the best of three worlds; it a hint of red and purple at first, with a strong undertone of pink. The scattered customer reviews stated that the pink undertone is meant to grow stronger as the dye fades.

What the instructions on the bottle say:

Crazy Color does not require the addition of peroxide. For optimal results apply to pre-lightened hair.

After shampooing, towel dry your hair.
Apply Crazy Color direct, spreading evenly over the hair (wear gloves).
Leave for 15/30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly until water runs clear.

[via Crazy Color]


What I Did:

I applied the dye into my freshly washed and still damp hair with gloved hands, starting at the roots.


I remembered that when I previously used a semi-permanent dye it advised placing a plastic cap over my head to lock in heat, to help the pigments develop. So I improvised and paced a carrier bag over my hair.


I have thick hair so decided to leave the dye on my hair for an hour to let it really sink in [it's vegetable dye so you won't damage your hair].


I then rinsed my hair until water ran clear, but didn't use shampoo, conditioner, or any other products on my hair.

I also remember a magazine article where a hairstylist who works in TV said to leave your hair for 48 hours after being dyed, before washing it again. So that's something I always do now.


I couldn't find a customer review for Crazy Color which detailed exactly how well that the dye lasts, I decided to do my own and use photo evidence so other people who are interested in the brand can see the results and make up their own minds.

I'll take two closeup shots (with flash) and one natural lighting portrait after each hairwash, to see just how well this product holds up [I never use any form of enhancement software on any of my photos].

Before application

Best of both worlds: L'oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Color Riche [exclusive to Boots]

When oil meets colour.. L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Color Riche.

Colour intensity of a lipstick

Magnifying shine of a gloss

Softness of a balm

I was never really a fan of L'Oreal products in the past - their mascaras were too wet, the hair dyes always looked different from the box, the lipglosses were too sticky, and he lipsticks always seemed to smell weird... But now I've tried several products of theirs [makeup, skincare, and haircare] this year and have loved them all, but  L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick is vying with Miss Manga mascara as my favourite thing by them that I've tried so far.


I have two shades and the quality of the formula is great on both of them; this is a liquid lipstick, so you get the strong colour and good staying power of a traditional moisturizing lipstick [3 to 4 hours], minus the drying feeling you can get from a lipstick. As a liquid you get added shine and a soft feel, minus the sticky and slippy feeling I've experienced with past L'Oreal glosses.

It's the best of both worlds. I will be checking out the other shades in the range as the two shades I have are both highly wearable, and have pulled of the product's three claims successfully.

Nude Ballet

A nude shade that doesn't look overly pink, brown, or peach, but must have some in the undertone because it's not that sickly beige, elastic-band shade I usually get on my lips. A lovely go-with-everything shade that now permanently lives in my handbag. 

Fuchsia Drama

A cheerful bright pink shade, that is ideal for this time of the year. This is  little bit different to Nude Ballet as layering the product really changes the look; a light sweep of the wand gives a bright-not-not-too-loud sheer pink, whilst two swipes dials up the intensity and brings out the purple undertones...

***

£8.99