Schwarzkopf Live - XXL Red Passion (Schwarzkopf Live)

Member Name: misssaxyness

Product:	Schwarzkopf Live
Date:	25/08/08 (4628 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy application, lovely smell, brilliant result.

Disadvantages: Slightly drippier than most colours.

I've been colouring my hair since my early teenage years - well, technically my mum has as, luckily enough for me, she was a hairdresser (now retired and living the high life!). I've been pretty much every shade out there and tried lots of different hair colour products, however i've always tended to lean towards the more alternative/unnatural shades such as deep purples, reds, pinks and blues.

After moving a fair distance away from my parents (boo!) i'd started colouring on my own using brands bought from Camden Market such as Stargazer, for so called bright and dazzling effects. These products however were slightly disappointing as they left my hair feeling brittle and didn't produce great results unless the hair had been bleached first. At the time there wasn't really anything representing bold and dramatic unnatural hair colours in the average highstreet retailer. This is why i was so pleased when Schwarzkopf launched their XXL range of colours into supermarkets and other highstreet retailers!

ON TO THE PRODUCT:
From personal experience Schwarzkopf have 12+ colours in their XXL range which gives a good amount of choice for all hair colours. The colours i have personally tried are ABSOLUT PLATINUM 00A, MYSTIC VIOLET V87, RED PASSION R43 and DEEP BLACK 99. All of them produced vibrant sumptuous results which i was very pleased with. For the sake of this review i will talk in detail about my experience with the colour i have used most recently - Red Passion.

PACKAGING:
Live Color XXL comes presented in an average shaped box, nothing different from the norm there. The front of the box displays both a man and woman which is unusual but great in breaking down the barriers that only women are allowed to dye their hair. On the sides there is the typical safety information to do with hydrogen peroxide, ammonia and skin reactions. (NOTE: Due to the ammonia in this hair colourant i would highly recommend NOT using this whilst pregnant) Also present is a handy predictions colour chart of what colour your hair may turn after using the product. These aren't usually too accurate on any hair colourant product, but its nice to have nonetheless. These is also a list of what the pack contains, and the information that this is a permanent hair colour and will take time to grow out rather than wash out.

CONTENTS:
1 tube of Live Color creme
1 bottle of developer
1 tube of Live Color conditioner
1 pair of gloves
1 instruction leaflet

THE COLOURING:
After spilling the contents out over my towelled bedroom floor in front of the mirror, i sat down to have a quick readthrough of the instruction leaflet, which the folded up plastic gloves are gently stuck to. The product is to be applied to dry unwashed hair which is much more convenient for me than having to wash or dampen the hair first. There are two different sets of instructions, one for a first time application and one for root regrowth. As it was my first time using this particular colour, i chose the first option.

Preparing the colour is explained step by step and very easy. Simply take the top off of the Color Creme tube, reverse the lid and pierce through the foil protection to open the tube up. Remove the cap of the developer lotion and squeeze the color creme into it. Replace the applicator nozzle securely and shake the bottle until the products appear fully mixed. This took a matter of 2 minutes. Once that was done i was ready to colour!

As i've mentioned before, i had towelled the area i was coloring in to avoid any nastly spillages/stains and had also changed into old clothes i didn't mind getting stained. I also had a comb and a few plastic hairgrips handy to help me seperate my hair into sections and hold the hair i wasn't coloring out of the way. A handy hint is to put vaseline around your hairline, ears and neck as this cuts down possibility of the colour staining your skin. The gloves aren't as good quality as some of the other hair colours i have used but they fitted ok and didn't leak during application.

I generally section my hair and work from underneath to the top, coating the lengths first, roots second - as i've found strong hair colours tend to activate faster on the roots. The mixture went on evenly and with ease. It was slightly drippier than some others i've used before so i was pleased i'd used the towels and old clothes! Smell wasn't too pungent, quite fruity for a permanent hair colour although i did have the odd cough where i breathed in too close to the area i was working on.

The instructions advise leaving the colour on for approximately 30 minutes. I must admit i tend to leave mine on a little longer and did with this particular one too. After application (which took about 15 minutes) and leaving to develop i'd say i had the creme on for about 40 minutes. The pack also advises using two packs if your hair is very thick or long. My hair rests on my bra strap and not too thick so i found one pack to be satisfactory for good coverage. Any longer than that though and i would reccommend investing in a second pack.

When rinsing my hair off, the colour started coming out immediately. My 6 year old said it looked like someone was bleeding into the bath as there was so much red dye! After a 5 minute rinse with warm water and an imulsifying blob of shampoo mixed into the equation, the blood (i mean dye!) started to ease off and eventually the water ran clear. The conditioner was easy to open and apply. It smelled similar to the hair colour without the nasty side effects of ammonia and peroxide and really moisturised my hair. After rinsing the conditioner off, my hair felt wonderfully soft and hydrated and smelled gorgeous.

Another handy hint is to have an old towel ready to wrap and dry your hair with as even though the water runs clear, the colour still leaks after washing and you will get red stains on white/light coloured towels. The colour had hardly stained my skin though, probably due to the vaseline, and whatever had seeped through was quite easy to get off with soap and water.

RESULTS:
I towel dried my hair until it was barely damp, then blow dried and styled. My hair was so smooth and felt in great condition. My split ends had seemingly been eliminated and i felt very pleased with the quality of this product. The colour change was quite intense! My natural hair colour is chestnut brown and the colour achieved with XXL was very similar to that on the front of the pack. The only slight difference was mine was possibly a shade darker than that shown, however i was not disappointed with this result. Colour distribution was completely even and the shine on my hair was superb.

I would definitely recommend this particular product, and all of the Live XXL colours for people who want to be a bit bolder and stand out from the crowd. This range of colours does just that, and also leaves you with deeply conditioned lovely smelling hair. It lasted a fair while, and i didn't need to do a regrowth application until a good 5/6 weeks after the first.

The average price i've found is £4.69 in Superdrug and Sainsbury however they are often on special offer in both of these stores as 2 for £7, both of which are great value for money.

Summary: Stand out from the crowd with these wonderfully easy range of intense colours.