Soopa Store News, Reviews & Opinion
If you live in the UK you’ll be familiar with both Toni & Guy and Boots. If you’re as young as Mr Omneo you’ll possibly still refer to Boots as Boots the Chemist but then again I still call Snickers Marathons but I digress… If you’ve browsed your local Boots store recently you may have noticed an addition to the usual Toni & Guy product range; they’ve created a range of haircare and styling products which are only available from Boots stores and online.
I was alerted to the new range because I’m a BzzAgent, otherwise I’m not sure I’d have noticed them if truth be told, a few weeks after the launch I received a box with some samples of the products in the men’s range to try out. I have to be honest, when it comes to hair products I’m always slightly bemused by the marketing tactics, I mean how many ways can you try and make shampoo sound exciting? I’m not sure there are many but hey, that’s not going to stop me buying the stuff.
My BzzAgent box of goodies contained 4 items from the Toni & Guy range of 8 items available for men. The ladies range consists of a shelf groaning 32 items! Is it any wonder girls spend so long getting ready? They have to spend 20 minutes just figuring out what hair product to use! (there are 6 shampoos alone!)
So, first up is Toni & Guy’s 2 in 1 Anti-Dandruff Shampoo & Conditioner which retails at £5.99. What can I tell you about this stuff, it doesn’t have an overly distinctive smell like some Aussie products but it cleans your hair and the conditioner seems to do its job. If you usually buy separate shampoos and conditioners you could do worse than trade them both in for this product.
The second item in my box was some Toni & Guy’s Styling Wax. I use styling wax from time to time and what I liked about Toni & Guy’s version was it’s presented as a roll-on, probably not all that great for stopping perspiration but it certainly stops your hands sticky if you apply it direct however if you want to get the best from it you need to get your hands dirty. They say it’s a medium hold but I found it quite solid. At £6.39 it’s a bit more expensive than my usual product but I did find it held well and didn’t require as much so when I run out I’ll probably consider it.
Product number three was Toni & Guy’s Styling Fibre. Styling fibre is one of my most used products so I was keen to try this and I have to say I like it. At £6.39 it’s a quid and change more than I usually spend but worth the extra in my opinion. It’s very light and has a slightly fruity scent, goes on easily to dry and wet hair and has a decent hold that won’t get upset by a Victoria line train hurtling through the tunnel as you stand bleary eyed on your early morning commute. A definite thumbs up for this one.
The final item in the box was Toni & Guy’s Styling Clay, I’ve not tried this product yet but I’m going to assume it’s like most styling clays I’ve tried in the past. My hair and I don’t generally get along with clay, I think it’s more an issue with me than the products themselves (surprise, surprise!). I think they work better when applied to dry hair as opposed to wet and I usually can’t be bothered washing then waiting for it to dry before applying products, that involves two trips to the bathroom. No surprises that it’s priced at £6.39 and if it’s of the same calibre as the Styling Wax and Styling Fibre I’d say it’s probably worth the cash.
Toni & Guy and Boots have, as you’d expect, created a dedicated website, www.hairmeetwardrobe.com, showcasing the entire range together with step-by-step instructions, including videos, on how to re-create some of the styles you can achieve. The good news is that the entire range is included in Boots’ 3 for 2 promotion which eases the blow your wallet or purse might otherwise take and until 18 September 2012 you can get 10% when spending £70 or more online by entering BTSC70 at the checkout.
