I recently wrote about how impressed I was by the Phyto PhytobaumeColour Protect Express Conditioner sample that came in the January Feel Unique Beauty Box. I loved this hair hero so much that I purchased a full-sized bottle of Phyto Phytobaume Hydration Express Conditioner as well as a bottle of Phyto Phytovolume Volumizing Shampoo. I absolutely love both of these products!

Phytovolume shampoo 200ml £8.95 & Phytobaume Hydration conditioner 150ml £10.20 from feelunique.com

I have long, fine, uncoloured hair that is thickened with natural extensions – my hair stylist tells me to use a volumising shampoo for body but use a moisturising conditioner to combat heat damage and the dryness that comes with having longer hair.

Phytobaume Hydration Express Conditioner contains jojoba oil, castor oil and angelica seed extract. Much like the Colour Protect version, it’s fantastic. It’s a hydrating conditioner but it’s not at all heavy on my hair, it rinses out easily and cleanly. There’s nothing worse than standing in the shower for ages trying to rinse your hair clean – luckily not a problem with Phyto! I’ve also found that despite having all this hair, I don’t actually need a huge amount of this conditioner; a blob about the size of a ten pence piece is enough. The conditioner has a very subtle fragrance; it reminds me of unscented body lotion. Imagine smelling shea butter from far away; that’s what it’s like.

Phytovolume Volumizing Shampoo contains yarrow and tormentil extract to add bounce and chitin extract to help the shaft of the hair retain moisture. It comes in a metal bottle which is quite unusual and rather noisy when you drop it. What I wish I had known before using this shampoo for the first time is how runny it is – look, it’s like water! 


A LOT went down the plug hole the first time I used it. I’ve tried shaking the bottle first to try to thicken it up but that doesn’t really help, so now I’ve got a technique of cupping my hand to pour a little out, rubbing my hands together and then rubbing my hands over my hair. It has this earthy, sweet kind of smell which I’m guessing is from the natural extracts. Don’t expect a load of lather from this shampoo because you won’t get it. I know well enough by now that foam doesn’t equal clean but a lot of people don’t feel clean without lots of bubbles. My hair rinses clean with just one shampoo which is fab because I use quite a bit of product in my hair.

This shampoo and conditioner combination is really working for me; my hair feels so soft, shiny and light since I’ve been using Phyto with absolutely no hint of build-up. It has body and bounce and looks super healthy. I’m definitely going to keep using this shampoo and conditioner – even if the shampoo is a bit annoying to use – and I really want to try out one of the Phyto Day Creams next.

Do you use Phyto? Have you got any tips to make shampooing easier?!


Phyto Haircare

I recently wrote about how impressed I was by the Phyto PhytobaumeColour Protect Express Conditioner sample that came in the January Feel Unique Beauty Box. I loved this hair hero so much that I purchased a full-sized bottle of Phyto Phytobaume Hydration Express Conditioner as well as a bottle of Phyto Phytovolume Volumizing Shampoo. I absolutely love both of these products!

Phytovolume shampoo 200ml £8.95 & Phytobaume Hydration conditioner 150ml £10.20 from feelunique.com

I have long, fine, uncoloured hair that is thickened with natural extensions – my hair stylist tells me to use a volumising shampoo for body but use a moisturising conditioner to combat heat damage and the dryness that comes with having longer hair.

Phytobaume Hydration Express Conditioner contains jojoba oil, castor oil and angelica seed extract. Much like the Colour Protect version, it’s fantastic. It’s a hydrating conditioner but it’s not at all heavy on my hair, it rinses out easily and cleanly. There’s nothing worse than standing in the shower for ages trying to rinse your hair clean – luckily not a problem with Phyto! I’ve also found that despite having all this hair, I don’t actually need a huge amount of this conditioner; a blob about the size of a ten pence piece is enough. The conditioner has a very subtle fragrance; it reminds me of unscented body lotion. Imagine smelling shea butter from far away; that’s what it’s like.

Phytovolume Volumizing Shampoo contains yarrow and tormentil extract to add bounce and chitin extract to help the shaft of the hair retain moisture. It comes in a metal bottle which is quite unusual and rather noisy when you drop it. What I wish I had known before using this shampoo for the first time is how runny it is – look, it’s like water! 


A LOT went down the plug hole the first time I used it. I’ve tried shaking the bottle first to try to thicken it up but that doesn’t really help, so now I’ve got a technique of cupping my hand to pour a little out, rubbing my hands together and then rubbing my hands over my hair. It has this earthy, sweet kind of smell which I’m guessing is from the natural extracts. Don’t expect a load of lather from this shampoo because you won’t get it. I know well enough by now that foam doesn’t equal clean but a lot of people don’t feel clean without lots of bubbles. My hair rinses clean with just one shampoo which is fab because I use quite a bit of product in my hair.

This shampoo and conditioner combination is really working for me; my hair feels so soft, shiny and light since I’ve been using Phyto with absolutely no hint of build-up. It has body and bounce and looks super healthy. I’m definitely going to keep using this shampoo and conditioner – even if the shampoo is a bit annoying to use – and I really want to try out one of the Phyto Day Creams next.

Do you use Phyto? Have you got any tips to make shampooing easier?!


In the February Feel Unique Beauty Box I received a bottle of Leighton Denny Nail Colour in the shade “Steel Appeal”, which is a dark, inky grey with a slight shimmer. It’s quite an extreme colour for me as I’m used to wearing pinks and reds; whenever I do venture over the dark side I tend to still play it safe with purples. 


Still, I decided to give it a go to see if my mind would change once I had actually applied it. I have to say I dont really like the brush with this polish; it's a little too floppy and the shape is all wrong. The consistency on the other hand (no pun intended) is superb, it goes on evenly and gloop-free and dries to a perfectly smooth finish. I've applied two coats and the colour has come out really dark and deep. 


To be honest I still wasn't really feeling this colour, it seems kind of corporate! I remembered that I had a bottle of OPI Gold Shatter Nail Laquer which I had received in the December Joliebox Beauty Box. 


At the time I received it, I had been wearing a pale pink nail polish so just applied the gold shatter over the top - it looked dreadful. I remember thinking at the time that it would look so much better over a darker shade of nail polish but I never got round to trying it. Time to test the theory...


Sadly artificial light doesn't show the shatter effect as well as it looks in real life, but the lack of decent daylight in these winter months is beating me and my daylight photos didn't turn out too well. On the plus side though the artificial light really highlights the glistening gleam of the glitter in the gold polish. 


I really like the effect of the gold shatter over this inky dark shade, it's a real statement look. It's clearly not the sort of look I can wear to work, but I think it will look really good for a night out. I've been taking to wearing a lot of head to toe black and styling it up with gold accessories, so really I've just extended my favourite look to my nails.

What do you think? 





NOTD: Black and Gold

In the February Feel Unique Beauty Box I received a bottle of Leighton Denny Nail Colour in the shade “Steel Appeal”, which is a dark, inky grey with a slight shimmer. It’s quite an extreme colour for me as I’m used to wearing pinks and reds; whenever I do venture over the dark side I tend to still play it safe with purples. 


Still, I decided to give it a go to see if my mind would change once I had actually applied it. I have to say I dont really like the brush with this polish; it's a little too floppy and the shape is all wrong. The consistency on the other hand (no pun intended) is superb, it goes on evenly and gloop-free and dries to a perfectly smooth finish. I've applied two coats and the colour has come out really dark and deep. 


To be honest I still wasn't really feeling this colour, it seems kind of corporate! I remembered that I had a bottle of OPI Gold Shatter Nail Laquer which I had received in the December Joliebox Beauty Box. 


At the time I received it, I had been wearing a pale pink nail polish so just applied the gold shatter over the top - it looked dreadful. I remember thinking at the time that it would look so much better over a darker shade of nail polish but I never got round to trying it. Time to test the theory...


Sadly artificial light doesn't show the shatter effect as well as it looks in real life, but the lack of decent daylight in these winter months is beating me and my daylight photos didn't turn out too well. On the plus side though the artificial light really highlights the glistening gleam of the glitter in the gold polish. 


I really like the effect of the gold shatter over this inky dark shade, it's a real statement look. It's clearly not the sort of look I can wear to work, but I think it will look really good for a night out. I've been taking to wearing a lot of head to toe black and styling it up with gold accessories, so really I've just extended my favourite look to my nails.

What do you think? 





I’ve not done a post on any beauty boxes for a while, but the February Feel Unique Beauty Box (£9.95) has blown me away so I just had to tell you about it. The theme is “Fall In Love...” and it’s a real head to toe package full of scrummy, high-end brands. 



Elemis Exotic Lime and Ginger Hand and Body Wash (100ml)


I adore Elemis products, love love love them, yet generally find them too expensive to buy for everyday use. This stuff normally costs £18.40 for 300ml. It’s a gorgeous fresh scent; I expected it to smell quite zingy since its lime and ginger, but it’s much more subtle than that. In a nutshell, it smells like a spa. I can’t wait to use this -  I won’t want to get out of the shower! 


Philip Kingsley Elasticizer (40ml) 


I have tried and loved this product before; it’s a fantastic treatment and makes such a difference to the condition of my hair but at £22.30 for 150ml it’s another one of those products that I can’t really afford on a regular basis. So you can imagine my delight at seeing this in the box! You put it on your hair for 15-20 minutes and then shampoo and condition as normal. Trust me, it’s brilliant.


Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse (10ml)



Another product for me to get excited about as I seem to be getting a little bit obsessed with oils recently! I’m thinking about saving this multi-tasking gem to take on holiday with me as it can be used on the face, body and hair, it can also be used on kiddies AND it smells beautiful! It has that holiday smell, the scent of warm sandy skin and evening blossoms. Heaven! At £17.00 for 50ml I can see myself buying a full sized bottle.


Decleor Phytopeel Natural Exfoliating Cream (15ml)


This is a smooth creamy exfoliator rather than the “gritty” kind that I am used to. Thinking about it, I’m not sure if I have ever used any Decleor products before. It smells similar to Elemis skincare – that slightly floral, slightly herbal sort of smell. I’m a bit of a fan of exfoliation so I’m really looking forward to trying this. The usual price is £23.40 for 50ml so it’s another high end product.


Leighton Denny High Performance Nail Colour in Steel Appeal (4.6ml)


This isn’t the sort of colour I would normally go for, but that’s what I love about these beauty boxes, they force you to broaden your horizons. The shade is an shimmering, inky grey-black and applies like a dream. I’ve applied 2 coats in the photo, and whilst I’d need to wear it a few days to be able to form a proper opinion, so far I’m impressed. The price for a 12ml full size bottle is £11.00.


With these beauty boxes you’ll often find a perfume sample, and this month it was Kokorico by Jean-Paul Gaultier. An interesting move by Feel Unique, as I was sure this was a men’s fragrance as I’d read about it on The Chap Blog. Oh well, the boyfriend likes it! 

I think this may just be Feel Unique’s best box yet. There was no hype (that I saw) leading up to this box which made it all the more special when I opened it, I was truly surprised and pleased with what I received this month.

Did you receive this month’s box? What colour nail polish did you get?







Feel Unique - February Beauty Box

I’ve not done a post on any beauty boxes for a while, but the February Feel Unique Beauty Box (£9.95) has blown me away so I just had to tell you about it. The theme is “Fall In Love...” and it’s a real head to toe package full of scrummy, high-end brands. 



Elemis Exotic Lime and Ginger Hand and Body Wash (100ml)


I adore Elemis products, love love love them, yet generally find them too expensive to buy for everyday use. This stuff normally costs £18.40 for 300ml. It’s a gorgeous fresh scent; I expected it to smell quite zingy since its lime and ginger, but it’s much more subtle than that. In a nutshell, it smells like a spa. I can’t wait to use this -  I won’t want to get out of the shower! 


Philip Kingsley Elasticizer (40ml) 


I have tried and loved this product before; it’s a fantastic treatment and makes such a difference to the condition of my hair but at £22.30 for 150ml it’s another one of those products that I can’t really afford on a regular basis. So you can imagine my delight at seeing this in the box! You put it on your hair for 15-20 minutes and then shampoo and condition as normal. Trust me, it’s brilliant.


Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse (10ml)



Another product for me to get excited about as I seem to be getting a little bit obsessed with oils recently! I’m thinking about saving this multi-tasking gem to take on holiday with me as it can be used on the face, body and hair, it can also be used on kiddies AND it smells beautiful! It has that holiday smell, the scent of warm sandy skin and evening blossoms. Heaven! At £17.00 for 50ml I can see myself buying a full sized bottle.


Decleor Phytopeel Natural Exfoliating Cream (15ml)


This is a smooth creamy exfoliator rather than the “gritty” kind that I am used to. Thinking about it, I’m not sure if I have ever used any Decleor products before. It smells similar to Elemis skincare – that slightly floral, slightly herbal sort of smell. I’m a bit of a fan of exfoliation so I’m really looking forward to trying this. The usual price is £23.40 for 50ml so it’s another high end product.


Leighton Denny High Performance Nail Colour in Steel Appeal (4.6ml)


This isn’t the sort of colour I would normally go for, but that’s what I love about these beauty boxes, they force you to broaden your horizons. The shade is an shimmering, inky grey-black and applies like a dream. I’ve applied 2 coats in the photo, and whilst I’d need to wear it a few days to be able to form a proper opinion, so far I’m impressed. The price for a 12ml full size bottle is £11.00.


With these beauty boxes you’ll often find a perfume sample, and this month it was Kokorico by Jean-Paul Gaultier. An interesting move by Feel Unique, as I was sure this was a men’s fragrance as I’d read about it on The Chap Blog. Oh well, the boyfriend likes it! 

I think this may just be Feel Unique’s best box yet. There was no hype (that I saw) leading up to this box which made it all the more special when I opened it, I was truly surprised and pleased with what I received this month.

Did you receive this month’s box? What colour nail polish did you get?







© Quite Frankly She Said. Design by Fearne.