PERFECT HAIR, IN ONE PRODUCT
The 'Hair' section of this site is testament to the fact that when it comes to styling my hair I go through phases, swinging from having an entire lineup of products on call on a daily basis, to using nothing more than leave-in conditioner after a wash. Some weeks I'll religiously apply smoothening serums, volumising creams, and texturising sprays, and then I'll go for months on end wearing my locks au naturel or simply shoving them into a habitual messy bun. Like most girls with super thick/straighter than straight/won't hold a curl hair, I long since gave upon finding a single product to achieve the hair of my dreams. Said dreams involve languid, piecey waves, with sheen and volume, not too perfect or curled, but a little more refined than 'surfer chic' [example], a look that when attempted, takes me over an hour with a pair of tongs and Steel Magnolias levels of hairspray.
And yet now, I find myself telling you that for the first time in my life, I'm genuinely ecstatic about/obsessed with a hair product. Well and truly Snapchat my best friends/write an impromptu blogpost/sing its praises from the rooftops levels of ecstatic.
Meet Bumble & bumble's Brilliantine*; it's rich-girl hair, but bigger, better, gutsier.
I've felt this way about lipsticks, perfumes, and even face masks, but when it comes to hairstyling I am rarely impressed enough to devote an entire [and spontaneous] post to a product. But Brilliantine is really quite brilliant [pun wholly intended], essentially designed to give smooth separation and shine to thick hair; and, as we've come to expect from Bumble & bumble's high achieving products, it does just that.
A light cream, scented just like fresh cut flowers/Bumble's Shine shampoo & conditioner [coincidentally it more than delivers on the sheen front], Brilliantine is in fact a product with an estimable heritage. Being the very first product launched by Bumble [in 1990], it is fair to say that the brand's success was founded upon the back of the contents of this sleek golden tube, which itself was inspired by the razor-cut hairstyles of the 1930s and 40s.
Expect the kind of languid, perfectly separated, glossy waves that actresses sport in candid interviews and models toss over angular shoulders between shows. The kind of hair that looks effortless and natural, but that you sceptically attribute to an army of stylists, heat tools, and £100+ products. Almost like a grooming cream, except that instead of sleek and smooth, the finished result is flirty and tousled - like a muted take on a surf spray but without the coarseness and inevitable tangles; for your hair will boast a softness and shine, something in between 'just rolled out of bed' and 'just stepped out of a salon'. It's morning after hair; sexy, sultry, bed-head locks with natural looking volume and a grown-up, polished take on texture.
More than just a finishing product, the formula is packed with beneficial ingredients; castor oil for shine and body, citrus, coconut, and lanolin for moisture and softness, rosemary and sage for scalp health, and a UV filter for added protection. To style, I run a 20p sized dollop through the lengths [a little goes a long way, and less is most definitely more] - a few twists and tousles later and all of a sudden I've got perfectly piecey, 'wavy in all the right places' tresses and not a care in the world. Ideal for reviving yesterday's style and enhancing hair's natural texture [think my hair, but better]. For exceptional definition and last I apply it when my hair is slightly damp and then twist it into two sections, pin them up with bobby pins and sleep on it. When I wake up, my bed is full of bobby pins but my hair looks like I just had an expensive blow-dry followed a night of fun. Soft, tousled, and with a mirror-bright sheen to match.
It's a fuss-free inconspicuous daily inclusion that just so happens to work miracles. Those who rise early, or prefer to relish a full seven hours sleep over an extensive hairstyling routine will adore it, as will anyone who struggles to style straight hair or who wishes to add an element of je ne sais quoi to their everyday look.
Have you used Brilliantine? Sing your praises!
