Andrew Collinge Brunette Shampoo and Conditioner (Andrew Collinge Mocha Brunette Shampoo)

Member Name: chickpea101

Product:	Andrew Collinge Mocha Brunette Shampoo
Date:	11/07/09 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely smell, leaves hair soft

Disadvantages: Quite pricey

Even though this is a review for Andrew Collinge Brunette Shampoo, I'm also going to refer to the conditioner as well, as I haven't actually used the Shampoo on it's own... so I couldn't really give a fair evalution of the shampoo alone!

Ok, so I don't use expensive haircare products religiously- I'm happy enough to use supermarket brands, but this was on special offer (buy one get one free, at £3.90 each) at Tesco, and seeing as I had dyed my hair a nice rich shade of brown, I decided to treat myself. The fact that it's a salon range was also a pull factor.

The stuff itself looks good enough to eat (and boy, was I tempted!). The shampoo looks like maple syrup, and the conditioner looks like butterscotch sauce. They smell just as delightful, too. The scent reminds me of a vanilla candle, and is nothing like most other flower or fruit-based shampoos available. They contain extracts of caramel, amber, coffee and tonka (I'm not quite sure what that is, but I'm sure it's lovely...), which are supposed to enhance your hair's natural or coloured, er, brownish-ness? I wouldn't know much about this, as it's early days yet, but there have definitely been no signs of my colour fading so far.

They also contain UV filters, which I suppose is quite useful if you're worried about your hair being damaged in the sun. This is probably one way that it stops your colour from fading, as unprotected exposure to sunlight can do this to your hair.

The shampoo is like a gel, and not much is required to do the job as it lathers really well. The conditioner is a rich cream which spreads quite easily, and again, not that much is needed for full coverage. You only need to leave it in for 1-2 minutes, compared to around 3 for most other conditioners.

The shampoo promises to "revitalise, refresh, and restore richness and shine," and the conditioner's job is to "rehydrate, revitalise and add intense shine." I must say, I was quite impressed with the results. After blow drying my hair, is was left smooth and manageable, quite hydrated, and it smelt like toffee. I wouldn't go so far as to saying my hair had an intense shine, but my hair has always been a little dull, probably as a result of dying my hair too often.

The packaging was nice- quite professional looking, like some you'd expect to see in a salon (well, it is used in Andrew Collinge salons after all!). The combination of the metallic writing and the pump lid made it look smart.

As for the value of money aspect, I'd say it was a bargain, as you could easily pay £2 for a leading brand shampoo and another £2 for conditioner without producing nearly the same results. However, if it wasn't on special offer, I probably would have hesitated to pay £7.80 for the two bottles.

I'd recommend this product to anyone to takes their haircare seriously!

Summary: Salon quality on a supermarket shelf near you!