When it comes to colouring my hair, I think I have tried most of the products on the shelves, in my quest for the perfect colour and result. My favourite was Clairol's Herbal Essences, but sadly I am not alone in thinking that Clairol took leave of their senses recently and began messing about with their Herbal Essences range of products, changing it completely. The new range they have came up with is not a patch on the old one and is rubbish in my opinion.

So it was back to finding a decent alternative and so far Clairol's Nice n Easy is the best I have found, but I am always lured into trying a different one when I see them on offer.
This is how I came to purchase L'Oreal Feria colour recently as it was on offer in my local Morrisons priced at just over £4 and also they didn't have the Nice n Easy shade I usually buy.

I have tried other L'Oreal hair colours before. Namely: Recital , Preference, Excell 10 and also Excellence Creme. All have given me decent enough results when I have used them, therefore I was confident in my purchase and came away with a box of Feria 3D Espresso Dark Brown.

L'Oreal Feria is available in 15 shades and promises intense and vibrant 3 dimensional, multi-faceted colour. It promises up to 6 weeks of shine due to its anti-fade system, thus keeping your hair 'full of life'. A phrase you may recognise from the recent L'Oreal advertising campaign featuring Cheryl Cole.

My hair is naturally dark brown but I do like the vibrancy that colouring my hair provides as well as covering any grey of course!
I noticed on the packaging it did not seem to offer any promise of covering 100% grey as a lot of hair dyes state, but I was confident that as a permanent hair colour, it would do the trick.

Preparation was simple. After putting on the gloves provided, squeeze the contents of the colour gel into the bottle of developing lotion and give it a good shake. Full instructions are provided, as well as information about carrying a strand test first, not only to test the colour but also to test if you are allergic to the product.

I personally prefer hair colourants which you apply to dry hair. It is so much easier and quicker, so I was a little disappointed to find you have to apply Feria colour to wet hair after towel drying it a little.
Starting at the roots, I began squeezing the contents onto my hair. The product promises a gel, so I expected it to have quite a thick consistency.
However, it appeared to be quite the opposite as it was runny and when applied to my wet hair became quite messy to control.
Despite my best efforts, I could feel the product running down my neck and the sides of my face, which I was able to remove immediately with warm water and cotton wool before it stained my skin, but it was annoying as I don't usually have this problem when colouring my hair.

After applying all the colour to my hair, I then had to leave it for 30 minutes, during which time it continued to run, so I would advise placing an old towel around your shoulders.

After 30 minutes, I rinsed it all off under the shower and was quite glad to be able to get it all off my hair to be honest.
You then apply some of the 'High Shine Colour Enhancing Conditioner' to your hair, which is also provided.
There is enough in the tube for up to 6 applications and you are advised to use it once a week to help maintain your colour and shine for longer.
Using the conditioner was a far better experience than using the dye I am pleased to say. It is enriched with UV filters and Vitamin E and does have the feel of a luxurious conditioning treatment when applied to your hair.

After rinsing out the conditioner, my hair felt silky smooth and my fingers glided through my hair easily. It smells pretty good too!

I dried and styled my hair as usual, but was disappointed that my hair didn't feel as soft or look as shiny as it does when I have used other products. In fact it felt a little dry.
The shade wasn't as dark as I had hoped but it had completely covered any grey hair that was lurking.

Overall I was not very pleased with my Feria 3D experience. Not only was it an extremely messy affair applying it, but also I didn't notice any multi-faceted vibrancy and thought the colour was quite dull looking. I couldn't wait until it was time to colour my hair again! It certainly isn't as good as other L'Oreal hair colours, so maybe their 'Because You're Worth It' slogan is better applied to their other products.

I can't see me using L'Oreal Feria again and it's quite strange really, as the other L'Oreal hair colour products I have tried have never disappointed me like this one has.