I had tried some other John Freida blonde shampoo and conditioner last year (at my own expense) and didn't care for it. There was no purple tone and it smelt weird, like the glue you peel off your fingers in primary school.

When the opportunity to review the new Sheer Blonde Colour Renew tone-correcting shampoo and conditioner arose through BEAUTY / Crew, I thought I'd give the brand another shot.

I've been using the Fudge Clean Blonde violet toning shampoo and conditioner and have been really happy with the ashy tone it gives my blonde hair. I've also used the Matrix Hello Blondie range in the past and enjoyed that as well.

This one had the same fragrance as the previous product. I knew this before I'd even used it because it squished out in transit. Bleargh. I don't mind a nicely scented product but this one doesn't do it for me.

Both the shampoo and conditioner claim to be formulated with a UV filter, optical brightener and "lavender technology", whatever that may be. The biggest claim is that the product "converts UV rays to a white-blue light, making colour-treated hair appear lighter and brighter."

Wut?

In layperson's terms, it's designed to tone down brassiness. The shampoo is a satiny mid-purple colour that isn't particularly pigmented when you start working it in, unlike the Fudge product which foams up purple and works as a toner as well as a washing shampoo. It had the same feel as the blonde brightening range on application, which to me is not salon-quality but more of a mid-range supermarket product. The conditioner is a light purple and I felt like it took ages to rinse out and get rid of that slippery, slimy feel.

I used these products twice each and did not enjoy the results. My hair felt limp, flat and decidedly lacking in volume and any toning effects were minimal. When I went running back to my Fudge products apologising for my indiscretions, I noticed the improvement in results immediately.

To add injury to insult, one of the tubes sensed my indifference and attacked me by backflipping off the shower caddy; slicing a nasty scratch down my belly, which was the final straw.

Should you want to make up your own mind, you can find these products in Priceline* as well as supermarkets but it's a no from me.

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I was sent these products to review by BEAUTY / crew and a modified version of this review has appeared on their site. For more information, please see my PR & Media policy.

* Affiliate link.