Did anyone else just get the opportunity to take part in the 30 minute survey for a 10p payout??????...
Did anyone else just get the opportunity to take part in the 30 minute survey for a 10p payout???????? WHAT? Are you kidding me??
Member since:27.01.2004
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I'm fast becoming a home hair dye fan. So far, what I've used has been great (Umberto Giannini & L'Oreal Feria Color Booster) but I just get lured in by all the gorgeous different shades offered so end up trying different things. This time it was the turn of L'Oreal Couleur Experte.
I don't dye my hair to achieve a massive colour change - I just like to keep it looking fresh and glossy as my old highlights keep re-emerging and making the ends look (and feel) dry. Scanning the backs of the boxes I decided a natural looking 5.3 Chocolate Macaroon (not to mention the fact I just love saying Mac-a-Roon in a Geordie accent) would look great.
The main difference between other hair dyes and L'Oreal Couleur Experte (apart from the fact it tries to have a fancy sounding name…) is that the one package actually includes all the paraphernalia required to add some subtle highlights to the overall effect. Very posh.
It's all laid out methodically, which explains why the box is bigger than most dyes. On the top layer is stage 1 (the all over colour) contained within plastic, and if you remove this layer the bottom layer has stage 2 - everything you need to achieve your highlights.
The similarity
between this and all hair dyes is that there are plenty of precautions and warnings on the box and the instruction leaflet which you must read before using the product. Contained within the box is:
If you have dyed your hair on your own before you'll not necessarily need a helping hand for the 'all over' colour, but if you want highlights in more than just the front then you definitely require assistance. I enlisted the help of my sister so she did it all for me.
As long as you put the highlighting stuff to one side then preparing the all over colour is idiot proof, even the bottles are numbered. Empty the crème-gel colourant (1) into the applicator bottle (2). Put on the gloves, fasten the top of the bottle and get shaking until the two are mixed thoroughly. Once this is done, snap off the top of the bottle immediately. You can apply the mixture straight from the bottle onto your hair but I prefer to put it in a ceramic dish and apply it with a colouring brush. I don't see that it would be a problem applying it with the bottle and massaging in with your hands as they suggest.
The mixture smells strong when you're applying it but luckily I've just moved house and my new extractor fan is the strongest one in the world so it's not a problem. I expect it varies with the colour you are applying but as I was using dark brown the mixture turned from white to brown as we were using it: don't worry, that's normal! There's a generous amount in the bottle, as I have medium thickness hair about 4 inches below my shoulders and there was quite a bit left when we'd finished. As always, I set my alarm for 20 minutes after the last bit was applied. As long as you don't overdo the application the colour doesn't drip so you're free to do something else while it's developing. I couldn't smell the dye once it was on my head, which was good.
Washing it out was as easy as any other dye - just get in the shower and wait until the water runs clear. As I wanted to apply the highlights I just rinsed my hair and didn't apply the conditioner so my hair was not that soft.
With the highlights I decided to do a strand test, because even though the colour on the box wasn't very vivid I didn't want to risk it going wrong. The mixture is even easier than the all over colour to mix up. I applied a small amount on a strand near the front of my head with the mascara style plastic wand and waited the 20 minutes for that to develop. It wasn't so easy to do things with the highlights developing because you need to keep them still so they stay in the same place (apparently you can't use anything metallic eg. foil with this highlighting mixture).
When I rinsed my hair I could barely see much difference so I asked my sister to apply some highlights all over how she thought would look good. She didn't find this too hard because she has seen how they do in on her in the salon. I would suggest getting the help of a friend who has seen highlighting done because they'll find it easier. The only thing my sister said about the highlights was that the mascara style wand was a bit chunky for applying small highlights so I think in the end she just picked bits out with a plastic orange stick (thing you use to do your nails) and massaged the colour in. I think the wand provided in Garnier's Multi Lights kit was better than the one given here.
Most of the mixture remained when we'd finished, so there was a very generous amount of that too, which I'm sure would have been enough for even the longest thickest hair.
END RESULT?
After the 20 minutes it was time to jump in the shower (again!) and rinse the highlights then apply the conditioner. The conditioner was absolutely gorgeous, smelling of fresh apricots. I left this in for the two minutes as suggested and it made my hair feel completely silky and knot free.
Once I'd dried my hair I could see the subtle highlights in my hair. I was afraid that it would go wrong so I'm quite grateful that they haven't gone ginger but I wouldn't have minded them being a bit bolder if I'd had the choice. I think that the previous hair dye I had used possibly had an impact on the result of this all over colour and the highlights. However, my dad did notice so it must have shown up because he rarely notices subtle changes in hair style/colour (!) All in all I was pleased with the result because my hair was back to its shiny glossy self - easier to manage and style again!
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
The price of this dying kit doesn't vary as much as some but if you keep your eye out in Boots or other shops sometimes you can bag a bit of a bargain. The RRP is £9.46 which could mean one of two things for you: if you normally dye at home then it's more expensive than simple dye kits, but if you have your hair salon coloured then it'll be an absolute bargain if you can achieve highlights at home.
I bagged myself 200 advantage card points in Boots on an offer so effectively paid £7.46 which I'm more than happy with considering the result. This range is quite widely available but do shop around for the best price and best colours because some shops only have a small range.
VERDICT
The instructions were helpful, although I am getting more used to using home dye kits so I don't rely on them so much. One of the things I was very impressed by was the 'expert quality gloves' as they are the expensive vinyl ones that fit perfectly and don't break like their cheaper plastic counterparts. If you rinse them immediately you can also reuse them with other kits (or self tanners!)
I definitely agree with the box in that it is a very natural looking result because it just looks like the normal variation you get with natural hair colours. It is something that I'd gladly use again, and I still have half of the lovely apricot conditioner to use. It's just a shame they don't sell this separately as it's the best conditioner I've ever used!
The only thing I would have changed is that I would have had slightly less of a chestnut/red tint to the overall effect (which I think was also slightly influenced by the last dye I used). But looking at their website after dying my hair (www.couleurexperte.com) I have worked out that they have 'warm' and 'cool' shades. The dyes have names but they also have codes like 5.3, 3.0 etc. Anything that's a .3, .4 or .5 is warm (has red/golden tones) and anything that's a .0, .1 or .2 is cool (has ash/neutral tones). If you're after a particular tone then I'd strongly suggest using their shade and application advice. You enter: your current hair colour, what colour you'd like the result, whether you want cool or warm tones, the texture of your hair, the length, the type of effect you'd like to achieve, and any extra needs - then it comes up with suggested shades. I don't normally get that many results because my hair is so dark, but it is really useful, and lighter haired people would probably find it even better.
I probably wouldn't recommend this for using if it's the first time you've used a home hair dying kit as there is quite a bit to do. However, if it's your third or possibly second time (if the first seemed easy) then go for it! I will almost definitely be using this again in the future.
Advantages: Great idea and looks good in the ads Disadvantages: You could end up looking like you've been tango'd
supersexycoolchick 08.12.2003 (08.12.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of L'Oreal Couleur Experte
Advantages: Lovely rich colour, beautiful shine, and you can control the highlights. Disadvantages: You must think about your natural colour, and careful not to mix the base and highlights!
skintbutchic 05.12.2006 (05.12.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of L'Oreal Couleur Experte
Advantages: Glossy colour, shows up well, good price Disadvantages: Very strong smelling & messier than all other dyes I've used (probably due to the fact you need to dampen hair)
Apr 13th, 2005
(Jun 10th, 2005)
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (94%):
helpful by (2%):
