L'Oreal Feria Hair Colour

Description: "Starry Night" Bright Black
Cost: $10.59 @ Target

I admit it, I picked this brand based on the edgy-looking model, and shiny, holographic packaging. What I'd forgotten was that I'd used this brand before and was none too pleased with the experience. Well, I remembered today when I used it again, and it gave me good reason to start this blog. There are tons of product reviews elsewhere online, but I don't bother consulting reviews on small ticket items, and it's more fun to listen to what your friends have to say!

Back to the review, Feria comes with the usual colour gel, developer creme, conditioner, as well as a special "aromatic shimmer serum." I don't know what the serum did, because although I was expecting it all to smell something like the fruitiness of Garnier Nutrisse, the chemical smell was actually very harsh. Not only were my nostrils burning, so where my eyes. Instead of watching an entire episode of the Colbert Report and waiting the recommended 25 minutes for the color to develop, I decided to rinse it out at 15. The conditioner that's recommended for immediate use after the initial rinse doesn't smell pleasant either, which matters because I won't care to use it in the upcoming weeks as recommended. End result: Don't be taken in by the sexy packaging. My black is not as dramatic looking as that of the model on the box, and I can still see some of the reddish undertones I was trying to get rid of. If this wasn't so unpleasant to use, I might have gotten a better result! I'd use something from Garnier the next time I decide to color.