The sun is shining, the weather is sweet

I am a massive fan of Aussie shampoos. There are always 3 brands of shampoos on rotation in my bathroom and you can guarantee that Aussie is always always there. I used to belong to the Aussie Angel programme at some point but decided to drop my wings after a while, mainly because I felt guilty of not blogging enough about their hair styling range (I am so rubbish at styling my hair) and thought it was time to leave the amazing opportunity to someone else who would be a better spokesperson for them. My love story with Aussie started long before I even started blogging, so when Aussie released a new shampoo earlier last month, I naturally was itching to try it.


   



Aussie's latest addition is called the 'Miracle Shine' and the first thing I asked myself was if they were going to call the 3 miracle treatment 'the 3 minute miracle miracle shine
I was itching to try it but at the same time, I was a bit scared as I heard rumours that the scent was dramatically different from the usual aussie shampoos that we love. Some people described it as floral, some others as having a very sweet smell. I am not a floral type of person so I was scared me and Miracle Shine was not going to happen.






After 2 weeks of wait, my Superdrug finally stocked some and I was able to assess it for myself. One sniff and I was sold. For me, it has a base of 'traditional' Aussie shampoo with a very fragrant note of candy floss over the top. Washing my hair was as lovely as with any other Aussie shampoo but with the added bonus of a new fragrance. I felt it didn't leave my hair as moisturised as Luscious Long and Take the Heat (my ultimate favourite shampoos) but I felt it left my hair a little bit shinier than usual.





All thumbs up then?
Well. Not quite.

   
I understand that Aussie wanted to keep the design of the Miracle shine in line with the rest of the range. But I think that the packaging could have done with being a little bit fancier: perhaps some holographic effect on the 'shine' lettering on the bottle maybe?
I think Aussie went a little carried away with the fragrance. Every time I now go the bathroom I can smell this particular shampoo and this is, without a doubt the most fragrant shampoo I have ever ever owned. Luckily, I don't spend all my waking hours in the bathroom but if I were, I think I would become a bit bored in the end. Who needs Glade, hey?  


I love the way Miracle Shine leaves my hair (soft, shiny, light, and definitely not sticky as the fragrance could suggest), this is a definite repurchase for me, but be warned: Miracle Shine is only for the serious sweet toothed lovers out there.

  
disclaimer: bought the shampoo myself, on offer at Superdrug (2 for £6.99 I think) I am not affiliated with Aussie, I am not an Aussie Angel (I used to be but I am not anymore, I quite miss it actually) and I have not received any encouragement to write about it.

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Bargain Time: Free hair products worth £30: Amazing trade in offer.

If you're lucky to live in the vicinity to a John Lewis (that’s me out of the question, then) there is this amazing offer which you must must must be aware of. On Thursday 29 September, arm yourself with an empty bottle of shampoo, get yourself to a John Lewis store (find your nearest store here) and collect a full size set of OJON Damage Reverse Shampoo *and* Conditioner.


 

I don't know much about Ojon and not heard about it before today when a few bloggers (Cas and Caroline) mentioned this offer. What is Ojon?

Ojon is a range of haircare hair treatments formulated with 'nature’s golden elixir, proven to help restore bounce, body, volume and vibrancy to even the most damaged hair'. Ojon Products are made with Ojon oil, a natural plant extract found in the rainforests of Central America. Ojon oil is said to be highly moisturising, making it perfect for dry dull hair and skin.

Yeah yeah yeah, how much is it though? Both the shampoo and the conditioner usually retails for around £20 (although you can buy the set for £30 on QVC channel) so this trade in is offer is really good really!

Or is it? Do I really want to try for free, a shampoo which costs £20 though? What happens if I really like it? I never spend more than £6 in a shampoo. Do I really want to run the risk of trying a product which is so luxurious.

If trialling high end products doesn’t bother you, this offer for you. Get to your John Lewis in good time on Thursday, 29 September as I imagine this offer will be quite popular.

Will you be reversing the damage next Thursday?

Or will a visit to John Lewis likely to create more damage?

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Christmas brought to you by Philosophy

Some would say it's not really Christmas until the Christmas Coca Cola advert comes up on telly. I think that of the 'festive bake' pasty from Greggs. If you're not in either of those two, the absolutely gorgeous Christmas Range from Philosophy will certainly give you the Christmas spirit or nothing else will. They've done it again this year and the range looks gorgeous and I want it all. It was hard to pick three (Why am i picking three? I think part of me subconsciously expect a 3 for 2 offer on this, like at Boots/Sainsbury's/Superdrug..) but here are my favourites:


1. The Philosophy Glow and Behold (Shampoo, Shower gel & Bubble Bath, 480ml £13) The colour reminds me of a chocolate scented colour shampoo for brunettes. But don’t be mistaken, this huge bottle promises to deliver a fresh citrus scent.






2. The Philosophy Warm & Toasty (3-in-1 Shower Gel Gift Set £20.50)
- Double Rich Hot Cocoa 3-in-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath (180ml)
- Hot Buttered Rum 3-in-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath (180ml)
- Hazelnut Espresso 3-in-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath (180ml)
This is another gift set which I would buy for myself :) In fact I would keep the cocoa and the hot buttered rum for me and give the hazelnut one as a gift. I am very generous, aren’t I?



and finally, in the most Christmassy package ever, the Philosophy Holiday Greetings (Mailbox Beauty Gift Set £18) This one is a dilemma for me: Too gorgeous to give as a present but then again the packaging is too special to keep it for yourself . The gift set contains:
- Brown Butter Cookie Shower Gel (120ml)
- Pink Frosted Cookie Lip Shine (14g)
- Coconut Macaroon Body Lotion (57ml)

Are you feeling greedy Christmassy yet? All these beauty gift sets are available from JohnLewis.com but make sure to shop around beforehand and as always look out for free postage vouchers :) What if there are other gift sets from Philosophy you would prefer over my own selection? I’ve made a quick slideshow with some other products from the Philosophy Christmas Range. I hope you like it. Any excuses to feature a little bit of Stevie … 

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My first love

When little girls dreamt of being air hostesses, fashion designer or vets, my wildest dream when I was younger was to become fluent in English. My first love before anything else was the English language and even before being learning it officially in school, I had already asked people around me to teach me words. Exposure to the English language being obviously being very limited being born and living in France, I used to give myself extra homework and make up my own lists of vocabulary to learn because I thought 3 hours of English at school was not enough. All foreign films would be dubbed in French but the very rare times they would be shown in original version, i would embrace the opportunity with both hands and watch the film with a pen and paper to write down words and expressions which caught my attention.



At bath time, I would look out for bottle of shampoos and shower gels, with the list of ingredients translated in English and would read them out. When I came to live to England, my little habits carried on, but this time, I would read out loud stuff in the bath to practise my spoken English. One thing led to another, I ended up knowing by heart the ingredients and mode of use of Aussie Shampoo and Conditioner, the “Luscious Long” 'flavour' and the “Miracle Moist”. Not only I loved washing my hair with those shampoos but I really developed a soft spot for those in particular as the whole English of it was so different from anything I'd 'studied' in the bath before: humorous, light hearted and very friendly, yet not as 'childish' as Innocent Smoothies or as slightly adult orientated as Herbal Essences hair care range
So when Aussie Shampoos contacted me, after they've seen my very young blog to invite me to become an Aussie Angel, I was just over the moon.
'Would you like to be An Aussie Angel?” They asked me.
"Hell yeah”, I replied. “I am sooooo into your shampoos, I could recite the whole description of a bottle, on the spot”, I added.

What does it mean in practice to be an Aussie Angel: Well, I'm not quite sure as this is all new but from what I gather, I am part of a little network of beauty bloggers and I get invited to Aussie Bloggers' events when there are some.

One of my first 'assignments' was to choose which tribe I wanted to be in, as in choosing which shampoo I liked the best. Tough to choose at first between The Miracle Moist and the Luscious Long, but then the answer struck me as being obvious and I thought 'my hair had gone a long way for me, so it's normal to repay it' :) I told you I knew it by heart! So this my badge :)


Makeup being a hobby of mine, I wanted to create a look for the occasion and dedicate it to the lovely team at Aussie. Thank you for inviting me, and for my welcome pack.
I am super stoked!



What did I learn from doing this makeup? Well, always shave your armpits, ‘cos you never know... ;)

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