The AirMotion Pro Brush - Are You Ready For Love? (Discount Code Included!)

Remember when the Tangle Teezer was the best brush since comb shaped rocks? Do you also remember the amount of times you've inadvertently flung it across the bathroom floor because you couldn't keep a grip on it?

Forget. That. Noise!

The L'Oreal Professional Steam Pod - Please Talk Me out of Buying One!

My first experience of the L'Oreal Professional Steam Pod last week was so revolutionary that it actually made my Monday's Moments this morning. For a hair styling tool, that's unheard of. 

I received a surprise appointment as a gift from my better half (surprise as in a day's notice, not hair styling ninjas surrounding me suddenly) so attended the local hairdresser with hair unwashed and ready to be wowed. I was wowed. 

I'm not normally one for selfies but, please, just look at that grúaig. I colour it myself, with Olia usually and hadn't done so in almost a month so the brightness is all down to the Steam Pod. But how does it work, you ask? Just like this: 




My entire appointment took just 25 minutes and that includes a wash with Kérastase Cristalliste shampoo and conditioner (my HG combination btw) and a keratin leave in heat treatment, that was blast dried through my hair before the stylist used the L'Oreal Steam Pod. 

My hair was sleek and shining in seconds, there wasn't a huge amount of steam as the Steam Pod comb attachment glided through my hair sections quickly and effortlessly. I had used the GHD previously but never had a flyaway, frizz free result like this before and it certainly never had the lasting effect that this treatment does. 

3 DAYS LATER!

I didn't have to brush through my hair once in the following three days, just ran through it with my fingers. Normally I wash it every second day but, honestly, this felt like I'd just stepped out of the salon with a fresh blow dry each morning, even though the rest of me resembled the Wreck of the Hesperus. 

All in all the glossy, tangle free, shiny effects lasted 4 days before I washed it again and that includes hopping in and out of the shower daily with my hair tied in a loose bun AND sleeping on it tied up with a bobbin so this is the question(s) - do I need one for at home? Would I ever achieve this good a result by my lonesome with only two stubby arms? 

LookFantastic.com have the L'Oreal Steam Pod HERE for €165 (down from €220.45), there's Free Worldwide Delivery and 10% off your first order. In fairness the treatment only costs €20 per go, that's actually €5 cheaper than a blow dry in my local hairdresser (I like to support the underdog). 

I'd love your input and I'll ponder on it some more, one thing's for sure though - I'm hooked. 

*Update 2017
I succumbed! Full updated post upcoming!
I've also just changed that link 
to a Skimlinks link - 
this means if you make a purchase using
it, I'll get a few sheckles too. It won't
cost you a cent. You can clear your cookies
and search again if you'd rather that didn't happen. 
I'd suggest making that decision after a nap, ya'know? :)

Lidl Argan Oil Bargain? Your Local Chemist Might Just Trump That..

There's many things I love about Lidl, their throwing your shopping at you, Hunger Games style at the end of the checkout isn't one but their occasional forays into cheap as chips beauty is definitely up there. The Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner, released on September 2nd is a perfect example. 

Just €2.49 per tube means you can get your mitts on, admittedly Argan Oil extract in these hair care goodies but, to be fair, the exclusive oil isn't too far down the ingredients list (that's bolstered with grúaig smoothing silicones and the like). I've been using it for a week now and, yep, I'm impressed.

Wanna know what impresses me more? 

Oh just 100ml Extra Free for 50c less! 

My very thoughtful Poppa picked these up in our local chemist for just €1.99 each and I'm thrilled with him for doing so. The gal on the counter said that they've been distributed to local chemists but are selling like hot cakes because of the Lidl promotion. 

So my advice? Definitely try these bad boys out, while they're not amazing for taming frizz, they are great for soft and manageable hair with a 'just washed' gloss to boot. If you haven't been quick enough to nab 'em in Lidl then be sure to check your local chemists - you could be very lucky. 

Let me know if you've tried 'em and your thoughts, ja? 

NEW Matrix Biolage Fiberstrong Collection - More Natural Care for Weak & Fragile Hair

I've been becoming more aware of my hair feeling thinner on top for the past 12 months or so, confounded by the fact that my loving brother, whom I met while out walking and sweating told me I 'look like a chrome dome' (he's a peach) so when The Professional Products Division of L’Oréal got in touch with me to introduce the New Matrix Biolage Advanced Fiberstrong collection I was all ears... and eyes. 

Made with botanical ingredients that have been naturally derived, namely the bamboo extract to repair and strengthen the hair follicle and protect from future breakage and combined with the sciencey bit - Intra-Cylane, it's a unique molecule that fills in gaps in the hairs cuticle - nature and science combined in Fiberstrong makes for some pretty great grúaig. 

Biolage Advanced Fiberstrong Shampoo (€11.05)

This paraben free shampoo lathers easily with just a small amount. Pleasantly scented, even without the accompanying conditioner this is a solid, thickening shampoo that leaves now build up on the hair. 

Biolage Advanced Fiberstrong Conditioner (€12.20)

Again paraben free, the Fiberstrong conditioner smells identical to the shampoo and coats the hair easily with a just walnut sized amount. Its thick formultion detangles as it's being applied and reduces the need for dragging a comb through wet hair and means less chance of breakage. 

Biolage Advanced Fiberstrong Masque (€12.75)

The real treat of this collection is the hair mask. I'm using this pot of moisture at the weekends as a treat. Slathering it on, covering it with a shower cap and wrapping my head in a warmed towel for 10 minutes. The towel slides right off and my hair is completely detangled and feels fuller with even the quickest blow dry before styling.

Biolage Advanced Fiberstrong Intra-Cylane™ Fortifying Cream (€16.30)

Suitable for daily use, the Fortifying Cream is applied to damp hair sparingly before drying. This has replaced my beloved Rich Argan Oil Elixir as my hair treatment of choice. I'm attributing the lasting shine to this step of the four.

Overall would I recommend this range to a friend? Abso-lutely, the price is deceptively bargainous for such high end results and the results are pretty high end - so much so that when I washed and dried my grúaig last Friday before work my boss couldn't stop touching it as she was asking me what I'd used and every one the lovely ladies in the office commented on how healthy my hair looked (Hi, girls *waves* this is the stuff!). 

You'll find the new Matrix Biolage Fiberstrong collection in all high end salons and L'Oreal haircare stockists as of this month. We like?

Cherry Link Love for #BBloggers: Hair Care

First up, a slight apology as I spent the guts of the weekend with my head under the duvet trying to fend off the flu, Cherry Link Love never made it up on Saturday. 

On the bright side though, it's now found a slot on Monday afternoons that will not only get a lot more exposure but hopefully will attract a few more bloggers to join in. 

This week we're talking hair care so if you have a post related to hair care do please link it below. Again, have fun with it, whether your post is to do with products, hair looks or even hair care implements we'd all love to see. 

For the day that's in it I'll share my most popular hair care post about the infamous Sleep in Rollers - more aptly called INSOMNIA ROLLERS. Come, have a chuckle at my expense. 

Guidelines for Cherry Link Love 

• Link up one of your posts in your comment that best suits the topic
• Be sure to leave your CherrySue follower ID so that I can backlink
• Take a mo to check out the other lovely links
• Share the love, by commenting on posts or tweeting fellow bloggers (we all know how great it feels to get a supportive comment.)
• Pay it forward: By Rt'ing links or just spreading the #CherryLinkLove word

Looking forward to seeing your links!

Cherry Link Love: Getting to know YOU!
Cherry Link Love: Nails, Nails, Nails!

Rich Hair Care Pure Luxury Rejuvenating Argan oil Elixir & Argan De-Frizz & Shine Mist

You may have spotted the Rich Hair Care line in chemists nationwide or perhaps heard beauty bloggers waxing lyrical about the luxury results achieved with over the counter prices (My voice being one of the loudest) but I had to share these two new additions to the brand with you. Rich Hair Care Pure Luxury Rejuvenating Argan Oil Elixir and Argan De-Frizz & Shine Mist have made my grúaig wrangling days fewer and further between and perhaps they could do the same for you. 

De Frizz Shine & Mist: €9.99 - Argan Oil Elixir: €9.99

The first point to note with these curly, damaged and dry hair saviours is that all is not as it seems when it comes to 'Argan Oil' claims. It would appear that any product with even a whiff of the stuff plasters the name in very large print on their bottles regardless of the ingredient contents. That though is a very small point, unless you're a stickler for that kind of thing. 

Think of these products more as a bounty of silicones and you're going to be one happy bunny, I know I am. My hair slurps silicones up with wild abandon and repays me with silky soft hair for days afterward. Not just mine though but the Gorgebags' too and they're a little oilier in the hair stakes than I. 

Comprised of a blend of oils, Argan, Sweet Almond, Olive and Linseed, Rich De-Frizz & Shine Mist is designed to strengthen and condition the hair with just a couple of sprays. Promising to protect against heat and UV damage while delivering a mirror shine to locks without dragging or weighing it down. 

I'm going to recommend you use this very sparingly if oil is an issue for you but but if you're looking to reduce frizz, protect your colour and pump up the shine factor then you may have found just the spritz for you. 

Blended with Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and Olea Europaea Oil this elixir is quickly absorbed and 'gets to work deep in the hair shaft' (ooh er Missus). Again you're looking at a colour protection, UV and heat damage protection helping hand with this product and a smoother, tamer mane come drying time. 

I warm two pumps of this luxurious oil in my palms and rub into towel dried hair, root to tip then style as normal. Truly I can still feel the siliconey goodness two days after a wash. 

I was so impressed with not only the smell and feel of this product but also the soft, manageable and completely tangle free results that I picked up a bottle for my Sis and her 6 year old girls. Their morning routine before they dash out on the school run has now been halved with a lot less tears and tantrums when it comes to hair brushing (and that's just their Daddy) So much so that Aoife swished her hair after her braid had been removed yesterday and insisted her Pops felt the softness. I'm going to chalk that down as a win, no? 

You can get the Rich Hair Care line from all good pharmacies and online but I'm going to steer you toward the shops on this occasion as prices seem to be €4.90 dearer on the world wide web - I'll investigate with the brand as to why that is but in the mean time tell me: Have you tried any Rich Hair Care products yet? 

**Update Following a very helpful mail from Rich's brand manager I can confirm that these products are available for €9.99 in Ireland, furthermore, your best place to purchase is from the lovely Lorraine over at Beauty Features. The only reason Rich's own site lists a higher price is because it caters for the entire European market. Interesting, eh? **

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Hair Repair Conditioning Treatment

I’m an absolute sucker when it comes to all things hair care, (I shared with you last week my holy trinity of late). Nourishing or conditioning hair masks are definitely top of the list to be thrun into the shopping basket with wild abandon in the search for enviable locks so imagine my delight when the good folks at John Frieda sent me this tub of Sheer Blonde Conditioning Treatment to review.

Designed to be used either daily for 3-5 minutes or weekly for 15, I always opt for the latter. Don’t know about you but when my hair is too soft my bobbins and grips tend to slide, which means I’m using more Batiste, which means I’m washing my hair more often, which defeats the purpose entirely. Less is more when it comes to masks with my hair, I know this now. So how do I use it?

Once a week I'll wash with just shampoo, rinse and towel dry roughly. Using a finger grip worth* of this citrussy scented mask (my hair is shoulder length) I run it through roots to tips. Once slathered in, I pile my grúaig into one of my very expensive shower caps (all pilfered from hotels) and wrap in a warm towel from the heater. Once turbaned up, I continue with my ablutions for 10 minutes or so before rinsing my hair clean.  

Sheer Blonde claims to bond to your hair, repairing textural damage and turning distressed blonde into soft supple locks. Even while rinsing, it’s clear that my hair is softer. Running the Tangle Teaser through is a breeze and, once dried, it seems brighter and certainly more manageable. I’m only half way through this pot at the minute but, yep, priced at just €5.99, it’ll be the mask of choice to be thrun basket-ward for the next while anyway.

Have you a hair mask of choice for treating your grúaig? 

My Haircare Nirvana: John Frieda Lux Volume, Shu Uemura Color Lustre & Tresemmé 24 Hour Body

Just like many, many other beauty bloggers I'm often sent samples of hair care products to trial and review. Very often they're perfectly acceptable for getting the job done and go into the continual rotation in the Casa Cherry bathroom. Until now. I may just have found the holy trinity when it comes to my grúaig and I'm slightly ashamed to admit that  John Frieda Luxurious Volume, Shu Uemura Color Lustre & Tresemmé 24 Hour Body have been safely stashed for my locks only. (Soz Gorgebags)

First up is the lightweight and lux John Frieda Luxurious Volume shampoo and conditioner, this full range, available from a ridonkulous €6.31 from supermarket shelves and selected chemists, has probably surprised me more than any other product in 2012. 

For the first time in probably forever, I can wash my hair, head out on the town and get up the next day to just run my fingers through and head out the door again. Unlike a lot of volume promising combos, Luxurious Volume doesn't add weight to the hair. I'll admit that this is my second lot of the collection as Aaron and his Flock of Seagulls 'do' took such a shine to the PR samples. Boy's got taste, yo. 

Next up is brand new from Shu Uemura and capable of changing the way you colour your grúaig for quite a while. This intense shade reviving balm is used on towel dried hair and left in for two minutes to add serious va va voom to your coloured hair. This Cool Blonde (€40 from selected salons from this month) has reduced the brassy tones in my blonde that tend to show up around week 4 of a colour. 

Fear not though, there's also Intense Red to revive red tones or bring out the burgundy tones in brunettes and Lustre Golden Blonde to revive and enhance golden tones. I've actually been able to skip a colour entirely thanks to this little beauty. It's now firmly on my hair HG list. 

Last up in my Holy Trinity is the innocent looking Tresemmé 24 Hour Body Plumping Powder. Again, this can be found on supermarket aisles and will set you back a meagre €2.19. The harmless looking powder is dry to the touch but once rubbed into roots becomes almost sticky and malleable. 

Once my desired volume is reached I blast it with a cool setting of the hair dryer (not on the instructions) and voila, effortless volume is mine. It's fantastic for updos and messy plaits that need some extra texture. 

And that's it, I've been living without the fear of a bad hair day confident that these bad boys have me sorted. 

Like the look of anything here? Are you a fan of any of them already? I'd love to know if you've found your hair HG and what it might be.... 

Psst: I haven't given up my 
grá for Golden Shimmer Batiste
but can't for the life of me find it. 
If you do spot it in Dublin would
you let me know? I'd love you
longtime...

Dye Another Day: How I Prolong My Hair Colour

I've been colouring my own grúaig for aeons now, for me, it's faster, cheaper and I always know what results I can expect. Well I could when I was stocked up on hair colour. Garnier Excel 10, a ten minute wonder dye has been my HG hair colorant for many a moon now, that's why it was akin to a gut punch to learn that it's been discontinued. 

Refusing to use another brand, simply because I've had several important work meetings and evening events lately that meant I couldn't afford a green hair disaster has led to my roots being slightly more prolific than I'd like. I've managed some damage control with a couple of products and, if you're blonde like me (naturally as well, just not AS blonde) they might be able to help you out in a stretch too. 

First up, the Aussie Colour Mate range that I wrote about a couple of weeks back has helped hugely to brighten my highlights and the lightweight conditioner means my hair has some volume and isn't dragged down, nowt as dark as a dragged down mane when your roots are ombre, people.

L'Oreal Mythic Oil - Colour Glow Oil - €19

From L'Oreal, I've been loving Mythic Oil, Colour Glow Oil. It contains linseed and cranberry oils and boasts a UV filter. A little goes a long way with this beautifully scented oil, I rub it into my towel dried hair and it almost disappears but for the beautiful shine it leaves behind. It leaves no residue, just a radiant, non greasy finish. My hair also seems to dry quicker when I use it.

Batiste Gold Shimmer - €5.19

I had to mention Batiste Gold Shimmer in my Stash post over on Beaut.ie such is my grá for it's glittery ways. Once blow dried, I spray this subtly shimmering dry shampoo into my roots and massage in. Not only does the golden shimmer disguise darker roots but it also draws the eye to natural (and not so natural) highlights. It gives my locks enough oomph to help the cause too. 

Finally, the hair tool to end all hair tools, I use the Babyliss Big Hair to go over my finished hair to add some volume and lift. This takes me less than five minutes but the payoff is incredible. The heated, rolling brush works to bring together all my elements of root disguisery (it's a word) and leaves me with smooth, bouncy, luminous locks.

I should mention that I've picked up a John Frieda colour mousse but the fear still has me gripped and I haven't used it yet. This simple routine, that's had people asking where I had my hair coloured, will have to do for the next week or so until I steel my nerves and take the moussey plunge.

Have you any other tips for prolonging a dye job?

Limited Edition: Aussie Colour Mate Hair Care Range

Say G'Day to the limited edition Summer range from cult favourite hair care brand, Aussie. Inspired by Australian designers to bring a little sunshine to your shower, these new bottles are covered with flowers and bright summery wording but won't be around for long so if you want to brighten up your bathroom with these, you'll need to be quick. 

Aussie Colour Mate Shampoo - €4.89

Using the famous Australian Wild Peach extract, this shampoo is super sweetly scented, which I love. I can't abide sweet perfumes but on my locks I make an exception. Thick and unctuous, it only takes a little to work up a good lather and it really doesn't need to be repeated. 

Aussie Colour Mate Conditioner - €4.89

 With the same scent as the shampoo, Aussie Colour Mate is thinner in consistency than a lot of conditioners I use but boy is it potent. A small amount worked into your grúaig lathers nicely and rinses to leave your hair feeling squeaky clean.

Aussie Colour Mate 3 Minute Miracle - €5.99

Should your tresses be in distress you need look no further than the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle. I popped this in, covered it with a shower cap and a towel turban over that and left it sit while I finished my bath. Rinsing it out, not only did it smell divine but it rinsed clear in minutes and left my hair ridiculously manageable.

I hadn't used 3 Minute Miracle before but having tried it, Thanks to the brand, I can easily see why it was a Beaut.ie winner last year. Not only was my hair light, bright and super soft but the peach scent stayed until the following evening. When I got up in the morning I pulled out my pony tail and shook my hair and it looked just washed, only needing me to run my fingers through before heading out the door. Well worth the budget price tag of €5.99 and certainly something I'll be picking up again.

Aussie Colour Mate Limited Edition Packs are available to buy now from all good pharmacies and supermarkets. Have you thrown these in your shopping basket before? Is there anything else from the Aussie ranges you think I should try?