Goldwell Dualsenses Just Smooth Collection

Dealing with unruly and frizzy hair thanks to cold weather or just life in general? Then you need to find yourself some:

Goldwell Dualsenses Just Smooth -  provides manageability and frizz control with an outstanding soft hair feel and brilliant shine - with a whole range of products including a few of my favourites:

Just Smooth Taming Shampoo - 300ml - $18.95 - as gentle as water, it instantly creates manageability and frizz control and contains a unique FadeStopFormula to minimize colour fading with every use.

Just Smooth Taming Conditioner - 300ml - $18.95 - instantly detangles and nourishes for smooth and touchably soft hair.

And the newest addition to the line:

Just Smooth Smoothing Blow Dry Spray - 200ml - $18.95 - speeds up drying time and improves manageability for smooth responsive styling while shaping the hair and giving it light hold.

Also available in the line is Just Smooth 60Sec Treatment - instantly regenerates hair and Just Smooth Taming Oil - for control and brilliant shine

Available now wherever Goldwell products are sold - check out www.goldwell-northamerica.com to find a salon near you.

- Lisamarie -

Goldwell Kerasilk Color Gentle Dry Shampoo

Anyone with coloured hair knows, the less you wash your hair, the longer and more vibrant colour stays! Sadly though if you have fine hair it's hard to go even a day without washing so here's the next best thing:

Goldwell Kerasilk Color Gentle Dry Shampoo - 121g - $35 - cleanses and refreshes colour-treated hair without the need of water as well as protecting colour from premature fade-out while maintaining shine with tamanu oil.

It's easy to use just shake well, spray onto dry hair and comb through - to add some extra body, aim it at the roots with your head turned upside-down, flip back up for instant porn-star hair! 

 Available wherever Goldwell products are sold - check out www.goldwell-northamerica.com to find a salon near you.

- Lisamarie -

Goldwell Kerasilk Keratin Treatment Service - for hair like silk for up to 5 months!

I recently had the opportunity to check out the brand new Goldwell Kerasilk Keratin Treatment at the Haartek Salon in Toronto. What makes it different then the other smoothing services available is that it is entirely customizable to your hair type and desired outcome. Wavy to curly, frizzy to unmanageable - it makes unruly, frizzy hair manageable, softens curls and smooths frizz and reduces daily styling time significantly - whatever the issue, the treatment has a solution!

I was super impressed when I saw the before and after on this lady (although I really hope they treat the other side of her head before she goes home) - frizz ball to sleek and gorgeous! And the other thing I found noticeable was the lack of smell - there were many treatments going on at the same time so some sort of chemical smell would have been expected and yet I could smell nothing!

The Kerasilk Keratin smoothing service utilizes a new generation of technology - consisting of glyoxylic acid, keratin and silk proteins - that penetrates the hair structure and creates a matrix of new keratin bonds that reinforce and stabilize hair for up to 5 months - you can see the amazingly smooth and shiny results here!

My hair wasn't frizzy/curly/scary enough to need Keratin so I was treated to a Goldwell Dualsenses 60sec Treatment instead (sigh, bliss - thanks Dakota!)

There's also a range of at-home products to compliment and maximize the salon service enriched with Kerashape Technology in both Rich and Ultra-rich formulas. The products can even be used if you haven't had a treatment to help smooth hair and control frizz.

The Kerasilk Keratin service takes about 2 1/2 hours and costs $300 and up - depending on the length and condition of the hair. Check it out at Haartek Salon in Toronto at 55 Bloor Street West in the Manulife Centre - 416-962-3355 or other participating Goldwell salons - find out more at www.kerasilk.goldwell.com.

- Lisamarie -

Oils that spoil (your skin and hair) - from Guerlain, The Body Shop, Palmer's and Goldwell!

Guerlain Abeille Royal Face Treatment Oil - 30ml - $110 - with a fresh and non-greasy formula that contains an active honey from Ouessant - rich in oligo-element to tone and boost skin firmness; rich in bio-elements to ensure the firmness and elasticity of the skin; silicium - a key trace element in the synthesis of collagen fibers and elastin; and fructose - energetic fuel of fibroblasts to ensure the skin elasticity - for skin that looks and feels toned, tightened and lifted.

And while it may seem pricy, keep in mind that 3 drops is all you need for your face, neck and decollete.

Available at select Guerlain counters across Canada.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil - 200ml - $16 - a silky-soft cleanser that effortlessly removes make-up from the whole face quickly and effectively, leaving skin feeling clean, refreshed and clear of impurities.

Available at The Body Shop and online at www.thebodyshop.ca.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil Rosehip - 150ml - $9.99 - this ultra-concentrated paraben free formula immediately absorbs into skin making it smooth, soft and radiant while helping stretch marks, scars, blemishes and dry skin.

Contains pure cocoa butter that is enriched with essential nourishing ingredients including: Rosehip Oil – which consists of 80 percent fatty acid and a high Vitamin C content that is recommended for scars and aging skin; Sesame Oil – ideal for overall protection of the skin as it helps block harmful free radicals; Vitamin E - a powerful antioxidant that helps protect skin and slow down the anti-aging process; and Cetesomate-E Complex - increases moisture levels to help plump, firm and hydrate your body - all with a light rose scent. I especially appreciate the pump dispenser which helps keep me from making a mess!

Available at Walmart stores across Canada.

Goldwell Elixir Versatile Oil Treatment - 100ml - $34.99 - Versatile Oil Treatment with regenerating argan and precious tamanu oil. Specially developed for all hair types. Its highly effective ingredients are instantly absorbed to provide hair with outstanding shine and a silky-soft feel - without weighing it down. For luxuriously conditioned, healthy shiny and frizz-free hair.

Available wherever Goldwell products are sold - check out www.goldwell-northamerica.com to find a salon near you.

- Lisamarie -

Treat your dry, winter-weary hair to a mask from Goldwell!

Winter is finally over (knock on wood) and I don't know about you, but my hair is showing the effects of this long, cold season!

So when I was recently asked to come in to The Colour Room in Toronto's Bloor West Village to check out some new Goldwell products and treat my dry, winter-ravaged tresses, you didn't have to ask me twice!

If there's anything better in the world then a scalp massage, I don't know what it is! If you could see my face in this picture - that is what bliss looks like! Marlene has magical fingers I could have sat there all day!

The nice thing about the Goldwell Dualsenses 60sec Treatments is that - well they only need to stay on for a minute so if you are pressed for time you can still use it during your shower but if you have more time apply it and pop a shower cap or plastic bag over your head to help it heat up and soak in - when you rinse it off your hair will feel like silk - take that Old Man Winter!

Once Marlene had blow dried and styled my hair you wouldn't have known it was the same head of hair I came in with - it was super-soft, sleek looking and so shiny!

Goldwell Dualsenses Rich Repair 60 Sec Treatment - 200ml - $18.95 - adds healthy shine and silky smoothness to dry, damaged or stressed hair with a repair system including Pashmina Silk Proteins and an instant microfluid technology.

If you're in Toronto be sure to check out The Colour Room and get your own deep conditioning mask and head massage or avail yourself of any of their other services including styling suited specifically for each client. You'll find them at 14 Jane Street in Toronto - 416-762-6814 - www.thecolourroom.ca.

Available at The Colour Room and wherever Goldwell products are sold - check out www.goldwell-northamerica.com to find a salon near you.

- Lisamarie -

Hair colour care must haves from Goldwell Dualsenses Color!

It was just a little over a month ago that I had my fabulous Goldwell salon colour experience at Salon M Squared and normally by this time I would be looking for a colour fix for my faded red but I'm happy to report that my colour is still going strong and I think I'm going to have to give a lot of credit to:

Goldwell Dualsenses Color Fade Stop Shampoo - 300ml - $15.95 - with a cream foam texture meant for normal to fine colour-treated hair, it offers a fade stop formula for gentle cleansing and protecting of the hair surface while it strengthens the anchoring of the colour molecules, actively locking them in the hair effectively reducing colour fading. Not to mention the pomegranate essence which makes it smell delicious!

There is also a conditioner in the line for $16.95 but it was recommended to me that I skip the conditioner to save my fine hair from being weighed down and instead for moisture without the weight use:

Goldwell Dualsenses Color Serum Spray - 150ml - $18.95 - for normal to fine colour-treated hair, it regenerates and restructures hair to restore colour vibrancy and shine - with ColorChromaComplex to help keep colour from fading and I love that it has the same pomegranate essence as the shampoo for the same wonderful fruity scent!

And then to pump up the moisture level, a few times a week I use:

Goldwell Dualsenses Color Extra Rich 60 Sec Treatment - 200ml - $18.95 - adds nourishment, shine and softness not only is it a super-duper moisturizer, thanks to the raspberry seed oil it smells amazing!

The incredible colour retention results achieved have me believing that my hairdressers have been right all of these years every time they admonished me to be sure and use products meant for colour treated hair... Not that the colour hasn't faded a bit, it has, but not a lot and it doesn't look tired and dull the way it normally would by this point - I'm going to be able to delay re-colouring for a few more weeks at least!

Available wherever Goldwell products are sold - check out www.goldwell-northamerica.com to find a salon near you.

- Lisamarie -

Test Driving Goldwell Salon Colour at Salon M Squared!

As a (fake) redhead I'm well versed in colour - red fades fast and needs to be redone often. On occasion I get it done at the salon but most of the time I just do it myself at home and I've never thought much about the difference between home and salon colour.

All that has changed after a pampering visit to Salon M Squared for a cut and Goldwell colour and I'll tell you what the big difference between home and salon colouring is besides the actual colour - the consultation! When you go to the drugstore, if you're lucky you get a cosmetician who knows what she's talking about when it comes to hair colour but sadly, most of the time they just seem to be reading the boxes too and even if they do know colour, there is a limitation to shade choices and unless you're really skilled and don't mind picking up a few boxes to frankenstein yourself then the pickings are slim - especially with reds!

At my Salon M Squared visit, I lucked out and received my consultation from the incredibly knowledgeable Mary Minaudo who is a Field Education Manager for Goldwell - who took into account my natural hair colour, eye and skin colour and what sort of shade result I wanted in order to pick something that was tailored just to me!

I could bla, bla, bla all day about it but seeing really is believing, a picture is worth a thousand words and what ever other situation appropriate cliche you can think of...

This is the Goldwell Colour and I am so happy with the result - she did a brighter copper on top and then darkened the colour towards the bottom to give it some depth as well as adding some strawberry blonde highlights in the bangs to brighten up my face! Together with the chic little bob that my stylist Halina gave me, I look perfectly polished!

And here are the pics from the last time that I did home colour - I dumped a box of colour on my head and crossed my fingers that the colour would come out close to what it showed on the box. At the time I thought the colour was pretty good but comparing it to the salon colour, there's no contest - and of course the salon did a much better styling job!

I know what you're going to say, it's much cheaper to colour from a box then it is to have it done professionally and I can't argue that - and until I win the lottery I certainly can't afford to have someone do my hair every month but I do think I'm going to try to have it done professionally every few months and then I can touch up the colour myself at home - having a pro base should give me much better home results!

I should also share with you the products that Halina picked for my fine, volume-challenged hair: KMS California Add Volume Styling Foam to add body to my hair and KMS California Hair Play Dry Wax to add a bit of texture and definition to my layers. I have never used a spray wax before and it's amazing! Not at all sticky or heavy and you don't have to get your hands all gunky to use it!

 If you are looking for someplace hip and friendly in Toronto for Goldwell colour and/or a cut or to pick up your KMS California products, I totally recommend the highly regarded Contessa Award winner Salon M Squared - 186 Wilson Avenue in Toronto - 647-346-6454 - www.salonmsquared.ca.

- Lisamarie -