Paul Mitchell Modern Marble Express Ion Smooth+ Review

I received these Paul Mitchell Modern Marble Express Ion Smooth+ straighteners a few weeks ago and I’ve meaning to get this review up ever since! As someone who’s had the same pink (don’t judge me) GHDs since I was in high school it’s really exciting to have something new to play with. Especially when they’re this photogenic! Here are my thoughts…

Usability

When I first saw that they were a little bit wider I was wondering if I would be able to get right to my roots but you definitely can. The size is perfect for mid to long length hair and you can easily create super soft waves with the plates too. They’re also designed for professional use so the cord is 9foot long which is so useful!

The Heat

I love that these come with an adjustable heat dial as it means you can set the temperature to whatever you like and watch it count up so you know when they’re hot. I keep it at 180° as that’s the perfect temp for styling. I mean I’m no scientist but I’m pretty sure that’s the temperature at which the structure of your hair changes but it won’t cause any damage. The ceramic plates have even heat distribution too so there won’t be any hotter sections that could cause damage.

The look

With the white and gold colour scheme, marble effect and minimal look these were sooo made for Instagram. I’ve never seen a pair of hair straighteners like this before and it think it’s really cool to have a pair that are different. You can also pick up a black version which has slimmer plates in the same effect, definitely worth checking out!

The Brush

I have a few of the Paul Mitchell 413 sculpting brushes and I honestly couldn’t recommend them more, they’re super gentle, really lightweight and come in a big range of colours. This one came with the straighteners and has the same marble pattern which is the fanciest thing ever, so matchy-matchy. I like that the bristles are really far apart too so that my hair doesn’t get caught or snap.

Damage control 

I actually find these leave my hair looking way healthier than any other straighteners I’ve tried. Sometimes it can feel super crispy afterwards and a little bit thin but with these my hair is smoothed over without loosing any volume. The temperature control is amazing too as if you have finer hair you can set it as low as you need to.

Want to see how these work in real time? I’ve popped my youtube review below…

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Trying out Kenra Haircare

It’s been just over a year that I had my big bleach disaster and lost a lot of my hair in an attempt to go grey. Even though this killed my confidence for the longest time, its actually forced me to get a lot more clued up on haircare. About a month after this disaster I also started working with Salon Success who send hair products out to bloggers to review on their blogs. It seemed like the best coincidence in the world and some of the products I’ve reviewed this year have seriously improved the condition and manageability of my hair. I owe them a lot!

This is 100% true of Kenra too and I’ve honestly found some holy grail products for me in their range. I thought that for today’s post I would work through each one and explain why I like them and how they’re fitting into my routine. I’m by no means a professional! But hopefully I can clue you up on some products that will work for you.The Kenra Moisturising Shampoo and Kenra Moisturising Conditioner are not like any other I’ve tried that are specific to dry hair. At first I thought it was strange that they weren’t as thick or oily as other shampoos and conditioners for dry hair which if i’m being honest made me a little bit sceptical. Once my hair was dry though it looked glossy and healthy and had way more volume. Rather than just weighing it down, the products had left my hair moisturised but also clean and light which I absolutely love. They are a holy grail product for thin hair for sure!

One of my favourite products is the Kenra Silkening Mist, a fine spray that adds instant hair advert worthy shine while making your locks smoother and more manageable too. I love using this after curling my hair as an end step to make it look really glossy and it also helps to disguise my frazzled ends (YASS).

The Kenra Volume Spray 25 is their most hyped product and has won the Stylist Choice Award for Best Hairspray 11 times in a row. It’s the perfect combination of giving a really strong hold to your hairstyle while also looking natural and allowing movement. Gone are the days of crunchy hairspray gurl!

The product I’ve used the least is the Kenra Root Lifting Spray even though that’s what I need the most. This is just a personal thing but I’m a little bit lost when it comes to using a moose. I’m not sure if I’m applying it right but when I worked this into my roots it did give me a lot of lift. It also dries in the same way a hairspray does to hold that lift all day and it kind of smells like watermelons too!

My most used of all these products has been the Kenra Blow-Dry Spray  mainly because it’s easy to use and it protects against heat up to 220°C which is perfect when I want to style my hair. It reduces blow-drying time too (amazing!), tames frizz and softens your hair making it easier to work with. It’s also very lightweight which makes it perfect for thin hair like mine as it doesn’t feel heavy or tacky like some other heat protectors I’ve tried.

Lastly the Kenra Revive Oil is amazing for smoothing over your strands and making them look shiner and feel softer. I love using this on the ends of my hair, especially in the morning as it keeps my hair from looking less dry throughout the day. I’ve also barely used any so far, so I feel like this would last you forever as one pump goes a really long way. The only weird thing about this one, is that it smells like mens cologne, which isn’t a bad thing and it’s not overwhelming but I was surprised at how different the scent was from the other products.

I’ve linked everything in this post but if you need any more info or want to ask some more questions leave them in the comments and I’ll get back to you asap. I’ve really loved using this range and I feel its made a big difference to my hair and has definitely helped me through the awkward growing out a bad haircut/dye stage.

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Paul Mitchell : Limited Edition Rose Gold Express Ion Unclipped Review

It’s amazing and it’s unreal and I feel like the luckiest girl ever that I get sent beautiful things to review, this being one of the most beautiful. Paul Mitchell is fast becoming my favourite hair brand and the shampoos, oils and treatments I’ve got to sample so far have made a vast improvement to my hair. After my dye disaster last September it feels really good to be experimenting with different looks and getting my confidence back.

I started using this curling iron the moment I received it and I really can’t express how many nice compliments I had over my birthday. I find the styler really easy to use and I’ve been loving trying out all the different wands. I like the rose gold and charcoal colour scheme too, it’s so on trend and I like that they managed to incorporate that into the product. Everything about it feels luxury. I decided to create three looks with the different wands below, so that you can see the results and curls in more detail.

   This is the wand I’ve been using the most and I love that it creates a really soft, natural and full bodied curl. I like to start by curling my whole head in sections and then gently combing through to create a soft wave but keeping the volume. I find that this is the easiest wand to use, if like me your not that great at hair and just want a style that looks effortless and is quick to create.

I also wanted to mention one of my favourite features about the styler here too. Once you’ve selected the temperate you want, it then counts up to it on the digital screen while your waiting. This means you know how hot it is and your less likely to burn yourself, which happens to me all the time with my other one. I feel like if I was shopping for a new curling iron that would definitely sway my decision.

For the second look I decided to go for a half up half down style, as this is my go to if I’m in a hurry to get ready. I love that the tapered rod creates soft ringlets which look really pretty and feminine. The finished look feels a lot more polished and they held in place really well. I also love the idea of just curling my pony tail, I think it would be a really nice look and is simple and easy to create.

The bubble rod is for creating tousled waves. I love the bouncy ringlet style curls in this look but I think the idea is that you use thicker strands to get a less stringy finish. For me I would describe this wand as creating soft ringlets, if that makes sense? It would be perfect for a beachy look and because it guides the hair in the right place on the wand you get an even curl every time.

I also received two more goodies in my gift box that I wanted to share with you. The first being this gorgeous mini brush, that is just as instagramable as it is good for my hair. I love it because the bristles are quite far apart which means it’s more gentle on my hair and I don’t hear that snapping sound while brushing. It’s also only £7.50 which I think is amazing and comes in a larger size for £12.25 so they are very budget friendly. Lastly, the Hot off the Press Heat Protectant Hairspray is a bit of a game changer for me. I used it to spray my hair before curling and it makes such a difference in the longevity of the look and keeps my hair nice and shiny.

I hope you liked this post! If you’ve tried this or have any Paul Mitchell favourites post them in the comments below.

The styler will be out this April and retails for £89.95

This product was provided to me free of charge from Salon Success, in order to review it. However, the opinions expressed in this review are independent and my own.

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