label.m Therapy Age-Defying haircare range

My hair can be the bane of my life.  I suffer from greasy roots and dry ends which mean I feel as though I have to wash my hair every other day and my life has been saved by my own discovery of Dry Shampoo.  I also have thin hair but a lot of it and when I am stressed it leads to a flaky scalp and as yet I have not found a product that can cure all of this, I doubt I ever will, but I have found products that can deal with one part of it.  I spend quite a lot on hair products and usually at my Salon’s request, stick with their offerings.  Until now!

I was recently sent a lovely gift package from the lovely people at Label.m and in that package was a shampoo and conditioner from their Age Defying Range.  Both items are packaged inside lovely purple/plum coloured bottles and both feature a pump action dispenser, to dispense the shampoo and the conditioner.  The bottles themselves are quite classy looking in design and wouldn’t look out of place in a top boutique hotel or hair salon, they are readily available online with the shampoo for a 200ml bottle is £13.95 and the conditioner is either £16.95 for a 150ml bottle.

What they say about the Shampoo

The label.m Therapy Age-Defying Shampoo has an ultra cleansing formula that is perfect to restore and replenish dull and weak hair and leave it feeling beautifully soft and full of life.

The Label.m Therapy Age-Defying Shampoo comes from the gorgeous range formulated with 8 ultra caring and technologically advanced ingredients to reverse the visible signs of ageing so you can enjoy hair that is left looking and feeling strong, radiant and beautifully youthful.  This sulphate-free shampoo will restore, replenish and rejuvenate. Designed to quickly transform weak, dull, aged hair into strong, radiant and youthful looking hair.

The first thing I noticed when I came to use this shampoo was how easy it was so dispense, even with wet hands, two pumps of the dispenser and I had more than enough shampoo to cover my head of hair, The shampoo itself has an almost peal-esque colour to it which shimmers in the light, but what caught my attention the most was the sweet aroma that came alive.  As soon as the shampoo is massaged into your hair and scalp, it lathers immediately where again the sweet smell that I instantly loved came alive.  As you wash away the lather, ensuring you have nothing left behind, my hair was already feeling soft and smooth and I was yet to try the conditioner.

What they say about the Conditioner

The Label.m Therapy Age-Defying Conditioner is a gorgeous sulphate free conditioner that has been formulated to restore, replenish and transform weak, dull and aged hair leaving it strong, radiant and youthful.

The Label.m Therapy Age-Defying Conditioner comes from the gorgeous range formulated with 8 ultra caring and technologically advanced ingredients to reverse the visible signs of ageing so you can enjoy hair that is left looking and feeling strong, radiant and beautifully youthful.

When it came to the conditioner, again, same classy design for the bottle and same dispensing action for the product.  With this conditioner are simple instructions -

“Apply to freshly shampooed hair, combing through from roots to ends. For extra conditioning benefits, leave in hair for 2-3 minutes before rinsing out”  

I don’t use conditioner every time I shampoo my hair because I have found it makes my hair greasier much quicker, but whenever I do use a conditioner I do leave it on for a few minutes to give it time to work and I always brush it through using my Tangle Teezer.  Then once I had washed the conditioner our of my hair, again the super soft feel was more evident than it was before, only this time the lovely sweet aroma more noticeable.

Looking closer at both products Sugar Cane extract which is quite possibly where the sweet smell comes from and as you can see from the photographs, there are a huge amount of ingredients which will ensure both of these products are good for your hair and naturally they are sulphate free too.

For me, my problem has always been one of three things.  My hair is either greasier after using a product, my hair becomes too dry after using a product or my hair feels lank and lifeless.  Having used these products for the last 5 weeks, my hair is none of those things, infact I am washing my hair every 3 days instead of every other day, my hair is soft and smooth with a natural shine and it is an absolute pleasure to style with my GHD’s, they glide through my hair.  Quite a few people have commented on how lovely my hair smells, one lady sat next to me on a bus assumed it was my perfume, only to my told it was actually my shampoo and conditioner that left the sweet smell that she was referring too, thankfully she stopped short of actually smelling my hair in public, but the aroma does last for a good 24 hours before it begins to fade.

The downside to these products? My husband likes them and I fear they will run out quicker than I hoped.

I have become a huge fan of Label.m products; I adore this shampoo and conditioner. Infact I love everything about it - the ease of use with the dispenser, the bottle design, the fragrance of both, how my hair feels after using and how my hair looks, it has a bit of life back into it.  If you have never tried these products, I would urge you to do so!

EMERGENCY...

Like most girls, I do have my must have and must wear products that accompany me everywhere, the kind of items I never leave the house without such as Iphone, Purse, Kindle and of course make-up.  Some mornings I am in a rush and simply don't have time to sort my face out and put on make-up, if that happens, I have a make-up bag which holds these items and I grab it, shove it in my bag and I am away.

As you can see, my beautiful boy, Dude, is very kindly modelling my Gorjuss make-up bag, a present from a friend a few years ago.  I love this little bag because I can fit so much into it and it is cute.

So inside the bag you will find:

1. BeneFit - Hello Flawless foundation - I have 2 of these.  One I keep in this bag and one I keep at home.  I love the colour, how easy it is to use and I like the packaging.  £24.50

2. BeneFit Hoola - my must have bronzer.  I love this stuff and again have 2 of them as above. £23.50

3. Lip Balm - I am a lip balm addict, a post is coming on my lip balm addiction, but I am never without lip balm. Palmers Cocoa Butter Dark Chocolate Cherry is one of my current favourites, it smells good enough to eat and at £1.99 it is a bargain.

4. MUA under-eye Concealer - a recent purchase as my Touche Eclat has run out and whilst it isn't as good, it 'makes do' and it was only £2 so I can't complain.

5. Thick & Fast Soap and Glory Mascara - to be honest it is a good mascara, I like the brush and it doesn't clump and I am a huge Soap and Glory fan too.  £10

6. Rimmel Day 2 Night Glameyes Mascara - just incase I need it and I like the thin brush for the corner of my eyes. £7.99

7. M&S Autograph Blush - I love this perfume, it is perfect for work, fits in my bag and smells really lovely - the description reads "This refreshing fragrance has a fresh floral note with bergamot and cassis giving sparkle to a pretty violet accord. Water fruits and soft raspberry mingle with dewy rose in the heart which reaches into a background of warm amber, creamy vanilla and silky musks. A captivating fragrance to refresh and uplift." £8.50

8. A Nail File - I am never without a nail file. Boots £2.05

So that is my emergency bag of make-up that I grab in a morning and shove in my handbag and I thought it would be fun to see how much it is worth :drum roll: £80.53 and if you include the cost of the bag which is aorund £10, that takes the total to £90.53.  That total has shocked me a bit because for those few items, it is a lot of money to use as my grab bag! I dread to think what my 'Actual Make-up bag' that I use when getting ready and am not in a rush is worth!

Does anyone else have an emergency bag like this?

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What's in the box?

This month's Glossybox has finally arrived on my desk and having seen a few posts already on what other people have had, I was in two minds as to whether or not I would like my box when it arrived.  Anyway, here it is:

So, as you can see it is all nicely packaged and the one thing I do like about Glossybox is that the box is always nicely presented and it is sturdy.

Anyway, once I had managed to locate my five items, this is what is in it:

Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush - The Description - A moisturizing lip stain that tints your lips with just the right amount of juicy colour and hydrates like a balm. Apply liberally, purse and let the silky lightweight texture melt onto your lips.  Full Size: £12 for 2.5g

Nails Inc Brunton Street - I am a fan of Nails Inc, I am yet to find a colour I don't like and this one I really love.  The Description - Bruton Street, nestled in the middle of London's Mayfair and home to the likes of Stella McCartney, Matthew Williamson, upmarket restaurant Hakkasan, antiques dealers and contemporary art galleries.  In short: sophisticated with more than a touch of glamour. Just like the nail polish nails inc has named after the street: a dusky pink nude shade that is perfect for a cosmopolitan, everyday look!  Full Size sample £11 for 10ml

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream - I have been wanting to try this forever, now I have it I am slightly disappointed that because the sample size is only 7ml, I won't really get the chance to see how well this works or whether it doesn't.  The Description - Discover the UK Beauty Editors’ favourite product for the past 7 years*. 

Created in 1930 by Elizabeth Arden to soothe and protect skin Eight Hour* Cream Skin Protectant was an instant and overwhelming success. Discover the skincare classic used by women worldwide - to moisturize and protect any way you choose.  Refresh jet-lagged skin. Shape brows. Revitalize shine. Soothe dry hands. Smooth cuticles and nails. No wonder Eight Hour* Cream Skin protectant is loved by makeup artists around the world. 
*Source: mymarketmonitor.com, Skincare category, number of PR mentions from 1/1/2006 - 31/12/2011.  Full Size sample £25.00 for 50ml

L'Occitane En Provence (Immortelle Precious Cream) - Not a product that has ever graced a wishlist but I do love the bright bold blueness of the pot.  The Description - Enriched with unique essential oils, Immortelle Precious Cream is a rich smooth cream that visibly corrects deep wrinkles and improves firmness, allowing skin to stay beautiful and younger for longer. Full Size sample £43 for 50ml

TRESemme Salon Finish Extra Hold Hairspray - I have to say, I was not excited about this product at all.  I don't use hairspray and well.  Product Description - TRESemme Salon Finish Extra Hold Hairspray offers lasting extra firm hold and all day control – whatever your style. With a fast drying professional performance formula, this hero hairspray provides all day flexible control with long lasting extra firm hold that is humidity resistant, with the ability to brush out with ease. Full size £4.69 for 500ml

And Finally... a special gift included which is clearly just for me:

Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Scrub

The Hubby and I have an allotment, something I might do a future post on, if anyone is interested, but we do have one.  The lack of garden really drove both of us insane because we like to grow things.  I love those little grow kits that I can put all over my house to grow fruit and vegetables and naturally my allotment is full of fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices and flowers.

My Allotment - Shed, Pumpklin, Potatoes and Beetroot

I am sure you can imagine that being on the  allotment, digging, weeding, digging some more, pulling up the weeds, and sowing seeds involves using all differing kinds of tools and accessories and they all take their toll on your hands as well as leaving you with aching muscles you didn't know you had. Whilst wearing gloves my hands do get a bit sweaty so more often than not I remove them and this leads to my hands become dry, chapped and sometimes end up becoming all blistered around the pressure pads on the palms of my hands making them look horrid and feeling sore to the touch. . 

Every so often I need a decent hand scrub and it is something I have found really hard to do.  I need something that I could get my hands on pretty quick and something that would act as an exfoliant but also a moisturiser. In the past I have used many products which fit this category and typically they had all run out, so faced with a dilemma I asked a friend of mine what she would use and bless her she sent me a tube of Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Scrub with Pumice and it comes in a 195g Tube. 

What they say

After a long day shuffling soil, treat your hands to our popular Gardeners Hand Scrub, formulated with soothing comfrey herbs. Two sizes of ultra-fine pumice work together to gently lift soil from hands and nails. Fragranced with fresh green clover, lavender, sage rosemary and thyme, our Gardeners Hand Scrub with Pumice is the perfect end to a day in the garden.

• Gentle on skin
• Ultra-fine pumice
• Cleans hands and nails

The tube is quite picturesque in that it is a clear plastic tube with a flip top lid which is nicely rounded to allow it to stand upright on a flat surface. Through the tube itself you can see a slightly murky green coloured liquid which clearly has bits in it because you can see them quite clearly; these bits of course are the pumice which I have already mentioned too, with the name of the product. Finally the label on the front of the tube features the brand and name of the product and then for a picture there is a rather gangly looking gardener tending to his (it looks like a him) plants. 

To use the instructions are quite clear, once you have washed your hands and removed as much dirt, mud and anything else you might have on your hands and then patted them dry, remember if you have been gardening and your hands are sore, you don't want to be vigorously rubbing them dry, it will hurt! So once your hands are dry you might well notice that you haven't been able to remove every last bit of mud and dirt, which I find really annoying and you might well notice you have a callous or two on the palm of your hand where you have been weeding and digging, all you need to do is ensure your sink or bowl has some warm (not hot) water ready and then once your hands are wet apply a blob of this scrub to the palm of one hand and then gently massage it into your hands as much as you can. As you massage it into your hands you should be able to feel some slight rubbing from the pumice stone as it removed dead skin and ingrained soil from your hands. 

The smell of this scrub is much nicer than I expected it to be. I have a thing about green products in that I always expect them to smell really horrible and vile but I was pleasantly surprised with this scrub because it has three main scents which are all mixed together and they are Fresh green clover, lavender, sage rosemary and thyme which combined results in quite a strong smell of lavender for me which I am quite a fan of and you can ever so slightly pick up on the sage. This product also contains Pumice which a lot of people use as a pumice stone to exfoliate dead skin from their feet, in this case the stone itself is broken up into tiny pieces and when blended with a cream it does the exact same job. Next comes Rosemary leaf which is a deodoriser for the skin but it also acts as an anti-oxidant and. Finally there is Aloe Vera Juice which has many benefits to the skin but in this case it is used mainly to heal, reduces redness and itching and it also forms a protective barrier around achy and sore joints and muscles. But most importantly soothe and nourish the skin because it contains both Vitamin E and C. 

So adding all of those ingredients together you got a product which works to remove ingrained dirt from your skin, remove dead skin and act as an antiseptic to fight infections from any open wounds you may have and then it soothes, nourishes and softens the skins and attempts to leave your hands in as good a condition after all your hard work as they were before you started. So how does it fare? I have to say that I am really impressed with the product; I like the smell of it, the feel and texture of it and the fact that it isn't too harsh on my skin. Whenever I have been down my allotment I do tend to have sore points on the palms of my hands below my fingers and the thought of putting pressure on them did fill me with dread, but this scrub is really kind to the skin and it definitely does soothe. There is an entire range devoted to Gardeners which all looks really lovely, though I haven't tried it.

Would I buy it? I am not too sure, it wouldn't be something I would rush out to buy, but I do like it. When it comes to the price a tube containing 195g will cost you £13 from the Crabtree & Evelyn shop and it does have a long shelf life as long as you keep it out the sunlight and somewhere cool to ensure all of the ingredients stay fresh and when you do use it, again it will last depending on how often you use it like all products within this area, if you use it daily it wont last as long as it would if you used it weekly but as there is no guidance as to how often you should and shouldn't use it you can simply use your own judgment. 

I simply like the fact it relates to gardeners, it is designed to treat areas of the body which gardening affects the most and it smells nice and is kind to the skin.