Iluminate my barnet please! (Toni & Guy Model.Me Erin Illiuminating Shampoo)

Member Name: xxfoxyredxx

Product:	Toni & Guy Model.Me Erin Illiuminating Shampoo
Date:	21/11/08 (323 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Everything

Disadvantages: Smell isn't the best!

I've written many shampoo and conditioner reviews and I always state I never buy them because my Mum provides them in the bathroom. She's always moaning I clutter up the bathroom with all my pots, tubs, bottles etc so as long as she buys decent stuff it's not something as a rule I bother spending my money on.

However if I spot a bargain I'm so erratic and illogcal I will buy anything! I see savings and bargains whether I need them or not and when I see Toni&Guy products for less than half price then I'm attracted to them and can't resist!

Strolling through Boots at the time with nothing in mind to buy and loose change jangling around in my pocket is always a bad state of affairs and that's when I always look for bargains that I don't need in the main! Well I spotted this Toni&Guy 'Model.Me' range at as I said less than half price and I actually loved the simple and elegant packaging of it and so I bough pretty much one of everything on sale thinking well if it's rubbish at least it'll look nice on my dressing table and looks worth a few quid and besides which I have mates occasionally come get ready at my house before we go out of an evening and they're used to me having nice stuff to use and pinch and this range does look impressive ! What's nice about this range is that the packaging of course is branded but you need to look for the range or you'd miss it in store as it's understated. It's amazing how many people I saw walk past this range and look at other ranges, even the big flashy Toni&Guy stand next to these products but not this stuff. People just didn't realise what they were missing out on.

About The Range....

The range revolves around three women. Helena Christensen (model), Jamelia (singer and model, and Erin (model) and it works like this. All three women have a shampoo and conditioner in their honour and from there they each have individual products which seems to be based on their individual needs and hair types. So say for Jamelia she has Afro hair and she styles her hair straight so her products are serums and liquids to style straight and add moisture and give lots of gloss. Erin's range is more about adding shine with her more illuminating products and styling putty type products and Helena's range seems to me to be more about styling and enriching hair and giving hair care a natural approach. All the products, whichever woman's you buy can be mixed and matched with your own products or within the range and all the bottles and pots look the same it's only the cardboard sleeves that look different and of course they can come off and be thrown away!

The Packaging....

This shampoo comes in a robust white oblong bottle that is made of plastic and is recyclable. Underneath the square lid there is a pump action integrated dispenser which is steady, firm and strong and a button apposed to an arm thing that snaps off! On the front in light blue and silver writing I'm told it's Toni&Guy Model.Me Erin Illuminating Shampoo that 'Gives your hair a real boost'. Size is stated at the bottom as I've listed already. On the back I'm told a bit about the product, how to use it, warnings are listed, I'm given contact details for Model.Me. It comes with a cardboard throw away sleeve over the top that basically tells me all the same stuff as on the bottle and shows me a lovely photograph of Erin on the front (who possesses very shiny hair lol). It's lovely packaging as I told you already and very simple and elegant and isn't heavily branded and/or tacky.

About The Product According To Erin (On The Bottle)....

Working in the fashion industry has enabled me to be a part of the creative process, to push the boundaries, experiment with extreme styles, and explore the constantly evolving trends. My hair really is a huge part of who I am and my Model.Me fashion industry inspired products developed with the technical expertise of Toni&Guy mean anyone can achieve the boldest hairstyles with speed and ease.

My Illuminating Shampoo truly revitalises your hair. This detox shampoo gently removes any styling product residue, whilst the scientific resin formulation works to leave your hair full of vitality, volume and shimmer.

Directions For Use....

Apply to wet hair, massage into a lather with your fingertips. Rinse thoroughly and follow with Erin Illuminating Conditioner.

My Experience....

Well of course I wet my hair first as directed and then I use about 6 pumps of this which sounds alot of product but not alot comes out so it really isn't very much at all. What you dispense is a transparent/clear gel like liquid that although is a liquid isn't like a really drippy one although it does evenly distribute easily throughout the hair and it doesn't feel sticky or greasy or soapy.

Now the smell of this isn't the greatest selling point. Out of all three women's hair care product ranges (Jamelia's, Helena's and this one, Erin's) this for me does the least smell wise. I'm just overly keen on it. It has a sort of citrus smell to it and then a sickly sweetness to it and it reminds me a bit of toilet cleaner. Luckily this smell only exists when using it and does disappear once rinsed out (including if you use the matching conditioner) so you only have to tolerate the smell really as I say when you using it and it isn't that awful it's just not my cup of tea.

It lathers up quickly into big white, thick, rich bubbles and feels quite hydrating on the hair. It certainly doesn't feel greasy or make hair feel coarse or dry it just feels like a rich cleansing shampoo. It rinses out quickly with warm water and me, well I always do another shampoo with it because I use a lot of styling products.

On my second rinse although I've rinsed my hair thoroughly before the second application of shampoo I find I need less product in which case I use about 3-4 pumps and once again it lather up the same and feels the same and at no point do I feel like I'm ripping out my hairs natural oils or anything negative.

Overall....

When rinsed out and before using conditioner (I always use the matching one) my hair feels nourished and healthy. I can get a comb through it damp and my hair feels alive and not weighed down at all. Hair feels smooth and glossy from the root and I can't detect grease patches or dry patches and my usual split ends feel smoothened and more integrated into my style. Of course I can't give end results for this product. I continue with conditioner as I say but I can say as a shampoo it cleans the hair and it feels revitalised, fresh and light but not fly-away. The smell once rinsed out it alot calmer and all round this is a very nice shampoo. I can't tell you if it 'illuminates' hair though but I assume from the feel that it does and it certainly does with the corresponding conditioner!

I purchased my bottle in Boots for £1.29 because it was on a very special offer at the time. It is still £2.49 a bottle for a limited time and will soon be going back up to it's usual price tag of £4.99.

Summary: A brilliant cleansing shampoo