I was invited along to Malmaison last week to hear from three brands: Bumble & Bumble, Smashbox and Ojon. I've previously used Bumble & Bumble (I had a tube of brilliantine which I got at my old hairdresser, MB Hair) and I've got a tube of smashbox primer in my make-up bag. But I hadn't heard of Ojon (please tell me I'm not the only one?). All three brands are stocked in Boots so you should hopefully be able to get your hands on them relatively easily.
The next day I tried out a few of the products that I was gifted for the purpose of this review...
The Bb shampoo and conditioner were lovely to use. The conditioner especially which had a nice thick consistency. Both products smelt gorgeous too. These products contain a blend of featherlight oils which help to soften, silken, tame, de-frizz, detangle and protect hair.
Getting ready to blow dry... me not the cat of course!!
After towel drying, I sprayed my hair with the primer and then combed through some of the blow dry creme. Have you heard of using primer on your hair? I've got a few face primers, but never thought that you would need to prime your hair. The pre-styler spray works to protect against breakage, heat styling and UV damage.
The all-style creme was also intriguing. If you put it on your hand, it's initially a cream consistency and feels smooth but if you keep rubbing it in, you can then notice that it has a powdery finish. Turns out there are oil-absorbing powders in the formula that will help keep your hair looking fresh.
Anyway, the end result was fab and I thought my hair looked super glossy and sleek.
I also tried out a few of the make-up products, the contour kit from smashbox and the lip liner and lacquer. The Always Sharp Lip Liner is such a fantastic concept. I love it. A couple of clicks and you've got a sharp pencil again and again without having to actually use a pencil sharpener. Genius!! (Turns out there is a tiny built in sharpener in the tip of the cap, so it's not magic!).
The Contour Kit is going to take some practicing I think, but smashbox have some YouTube tutorials so I'm going to watch these a few times before I have another go! The kit comes with three blendable powders - to contour, bronze and highlight - and it comes with a specially designed angled brush. What's handy is the little diagram that you can see on the mirror below which is basically a cheat sheet that will help you achieve great results.
The palette is expensive at £35, and I'm not sure I could justify that much money on a contouring product. Maybe once I've mastered the art my opinion might change. However I think the lip liner and lacquer are well worth the money.
My new luscious, shiny locks and my smashbox lip colour (which lasted for the rest of the day without touching up!)
I've also subsequently tried some of the Ojon products. The Restorative Hair Treatment Plus was lovely. It's a solid balm in the tub, but you scoop out some onto your hands and then rub them together to transform it into a luxurious oil. I massaged this into my hair whilst I had a soak in the bath tub. This intensive hair treatment helps hydrate and improve the condition of damaged hair. The story behind the brand was quite remarkable; I enjoyed hearing about the founder Denis Simioni who discovered that communities in Central America used the oils extracted from the nuts from the native Ojon tree for hair and beauty remedies. Again, my hair felt in great condition afterwards. I'm going to keep using the products, so I'll keep you updated with my thoughts on them after a few uses.
Do let me know what you think - have you tried any of these brands and/or products?
I received some complimentary products from each of the brands for the purpose of this review. Opinions as always are honest and are my own.
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