#lushcherry

So after seeing my favorite fellow beauty blogger Casey Holmes (caseyholmesbeauty.blogspot.com // youtube.com/itsbl0ndie) talk about the beautiful "Lush Cherry" color by L'Oreal preference, I just had to try it. I've been dyeing my hair varying shades of red for the past three years now (I was as bright as the Little Mermaid a few years back! Loved it, but the maintenance was just out of control) and I'm always looking to try new hues and brands.  I am familiar with L'Oreal as my usual go to for reds is the High Lift Reds line.

First off, let me say, this color must be popular right now.  I went to my usual Sally Beauty Supply and they only had one bottle left (I needed 4 in total, or so I thought. I wound up using 3) so I called the next local one that's about ten minutes from my usual spot and they too only had 1 bottle remaining.  So I called another one that's furthest from me and it turned out they had SIX in stock so I asked them to put them to the side for me and picked them up.  So now I have enough for when I need to refresh this color, which I'm hoping isn't as often as I am used to with more vibrant shades of red.

I got home and immediately got to work.  I HATE dyeing my hair.  I mean, I really loathe it.  It takes me a decent amount of time because I dye my hair extensions too even though I don't wear them much anymore except for when I curl / deep wave my hair. I opened two bottles, mixed them with equal parts of 20 volume Oreor brand developer. At first I didn't notice any smell as I was applying the color to my extensions (I dye them first and while they're processing I dye my actual hair, then it's usually time to rinse out the extensions and then when I'm done with them it's time to rinse out my hair... finally got a system down!) but after a minute or two... OH MY GOODNESS.  My eyes were burning (I had ventilation too) and the smell was just burning my nose incredibly. I kept taking mini breaks to stick my head out my bathroom window.  Also, the solution was very .... liquidy, I guess you can say? It wasn't very thick like I'm used to so I made a huge mess. By the time I was done it was all over the sink, the floor, my arms... it was just so not cute.  Alas, I left it on to process figuring the worst that could happen is that it would come out some strange color OR not process at all.  And that's why I'm glad to have my local favorite hair salon up the street! Haha.

So I washed it out, did my after color conditioning treatment by Ion to lock in color and moisturize.  I don't like to blow dry my hair at all, especially after coloring, so I left it to air dry.  I kept running to the mirror to check to see if I can see a difference in color and it just looked darker to me; I didn't see any violet red tones.

After a few painstaking hours of letting my hair dry naturally, I combed it out and did a basic hair routine (which I'll be posting a video about in the near future) and fell IN LOVE.  This color is gorgeous and definitely worth the smell and consistency of the dye process.  I will definitely be dyeing my hair at least once more, maybe twice more, with L'Oreal Preference in this color. I'll probably keep it like this until March or April at least, which is when I like to go a little bit lighter to my natural color for the summer months since summer wreaks enough havoc as it is on hair.

So here is the finished result!

The first picture on the left was taken near a window with a lot of natural sunlight. The second photo was taken just under regular room lighting. It's GORGEOUS. So would I recommend this product? Absolutely.  "Lush Cherry" is the only color I have tried so far, but I wouldn't doubt that their other colors are just as vibrant and amazing.  It's worth withstanding the strong chemical smell, in my opinion. Like I mentioned earlier, this product IS from the professionals line and I purchased it at Sally Beauty Supply, so it does require reconstitution unlike the box dyes that you can purchase at your local drugstore.  If this isn't your thing and you just would prefer to run to your local CVS or Walgreens or whatever, I found what I think to be a "dupe" of the product boxed by L'Oreal from their Feria line.  I actually HAVE used one or two colors from their Feria line and really liked them.  So if you're interested in getting this color and not having to worry about mixing developer and dye, etc., then I recommend L'Oreal Feria Multifaceted Shimmer Color in "Deep Burgundy Brown". For more information on this product, click here.

So there you have it! My first review. Leave comments or questions below.

Please know that I did purchase this product on my own.  I am not being paid or compensated in any way by L'Oreal or any of their affiliates. xo.