While my box of Garnier had been through a rough time, the contents were still intact. The fruity smell of the conditioner was obvious as soon as I opened my envelope, but other than the box, nothing was damaged. I’ve used Garnier before because they offer great value for money (and is affordable), come in an extensive range of fantastic colours, and covers hair evenly, leaving your hair vibrant and shiny (thanks to the awesome conditioner they provide with each colour application).

As the very light roots in my before pic proves, it’s been a while since I’ve dyed my hair – about four months, give or take. After a liberal application of Smith’s Rosebud Salve (I don’t have Vaseline :|) I set about preparing and applying the dye.

My hair is the longest it’s probably ever been and I was worried about whether one box would be enough. From other ladies’ (with thicker hair) reviews, it seemed one is enough, and fortunately it’s more than enough, allowing for thorough and even coverage.

The non-drip formula is fantastic! No trickles of colour running down your neck or face, which means less mess in general.

After rinsing the colour, applying and rinsing the conditioner, I was concerned about the redness of the colour. I’ve had red hair before, but since my skin is behaving like that of a teenager, I really didn’t want even more red to emphasise the colour of my blemishes. However, it didn’t turn out that badly, and it’s mostly my roots that show any red at all. And my mom says I’m overreacting :)

I kept being distracted by how soft and shiny my hair was. Thanks for this opportunity, Beauty Bulletin and Garnier; my hair’s all pretty again now!