Kevin Murphy

It was a beautiful day poolside at C Lounge at 450 Wellington Street West in Toronto a couple of Wednesdays ago when Australian hair god, Kevin Murphy hosted a lunch for the media to launch some cool new products.

If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Kevin or trying his line, you should - Kevin is very charming and the products are really fun!  I can't really help you with an intro to Kevin but I can introduce you to the new products so read on my friends!



Powder.Puff - 14g - $26 - this unique powder volumiser contains seaweed, apple, plum, cranberry and citrus extracts.  It's easy to use, you just shake a tiny amount onto dry hair massage between your fingers for instant volume!  Not only is this a wonderful product for fine haired folks like me, it can also double as a dry shampoo if your hair is just a little bit dirty (it's not meant to be one though so don't try this trick on really dirty hair!)
Night.Rider - 110g - $22 - a paraben free paste that provides a touch hold and a rough matte texture for short or choppy looks.  Can be used on damp or dry hair.  My only caution is you need to work fast and in small sections if you are doing something fancy as it sets quite quickly!
Jet.Pak - $43 - A kit perfect for the world traveler it contains 5 generously sized travel essentials: Hydrate-Me.Wash - 40ml, Hydrate-Me.Rinse - 40ml, Anti.Gravity - 40ml, Session.Spray - 50ml and Fresh.Hair - 57ml
Luxury.Wash - 250ml - $25 - an ultra rich shampoo that is sulphate and paraben free with ingredients specifically suited for the needs of thick, coarse hair including: mango butter which has excellent moisturizing properties to counteract the effects of permanent colour and chemical damage, buriti nut oil which is a natural source of vitamin A and gives the hair elasticity and shine.

Luxury.Rinse - 250ml - $25 - with the same benefits of the shampoo it has the ability to make the hair more supple and improves flexibility on hair that is naturally course.  It's especially good for curly hair as it has the right hydro lipid balance that suits the needs of curly hair as too much moisture can result in flyaways and frizz.

I have totally the wrong hair type to give you any sort of opinion for these ones so Christelle has been testing them and will have a review soon so stay tuned!

Check out http://www.kevinmurphy.com.au/findus/findus.php to find out where you can pick up Kevin Murphy products near you!

Kevin Murphy Maxi.Wash - 250ml - $25 - a detoxifying shampoo that removes unwanted product residue and excess oil that can build up in your hair.  It deep cleaning brightens your limp or dull hair as well as balances sebum production.  Contains a herbal blend of lime, mint and eucalyptus to remove excess oil and tropical fruit acids and anti pollution agents to deeply cleanse your hair, while sage extracts dissolve the fats and oils.  I was told that the first time I used this, not to expect it to lather and that I would probably need to use it a second time and then it would, once all of the buildup was out of my hair and that's exactly what happened - you would not believe how clean my hair felt after using this!  It's not an everyday shampoo, you just use it once or twice a week - I will be investing in a full size of this one!  You can find Kevin Murphy products at various salons across Canada - go here to find the one closest to you.

Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In it - 115ml - $12.99 - not only is it an exfoliator, it can also do double duty as a mask!  It contains: diatomaceous earth - a highly refined and purified earth "dirt" that gently lifts dead cells and debris while scrubbing the skin and stimulation circulation; montmorillite clay - a soft, white purified clay that absorbs excess oils; and super fruit acids - to dissolve the glue that makes dead cells stick to the surface of the skin. I'm pretty picky when it comes to face scrubs - don't like apricot ones or the like because they use ground up pieces of apricot or fruit seeds which can have sharp edges and I find that sugar and salt scrubs, although great for the body, too harsh for my face.  Dirt is obviously the perfect solution to this issue because I really like this scrub!  It has the perfect amount of "scrubbiness" without being harsh or irritating.  I also tried using it as a mask on one of my oily breakout days and it did a decent job of de-shining me and making my skin feel nice and smooth.  Soap & Glory is available at Shoppers Drug Mart.

THANN Aromatherapy Salt Scrub - 450g - $49.50 - it comes in several different scents including Aromatic Wood which I tried.  It's a kind of masculine smell, which I didn't mind and if you were looking for a scrub for your guy but he complained that they all smell too girly, you should turn him on to this one.  The scrub contains moisturizing rice bran oil, exfoliating sea salt and plant essential oils: orange oil containing natural AHA clarifies and moisturizes the skin while nutmeg oil stimulates circulation.

If you are one of my hometown girls from Ottawa then you are lucky to have the flagship store right there at 312 Richmond Road - 613-216-2390 - everyone else can find it online at www.thann.ca

Vichy Podexine Kerato-Reducing Scrub - 75ml - $17.95 - the alumina micro-crystals in this scrub are 150x harder than the particles found in traditional scrubs to take care of irregularities, roughness or calluses.  This is a heavy duty scrub suitable for people with super serious foot issues so I figured that it would find my slightly flaky feet a breeze!  The scrub is abrasive but in the good way that you expect from a foot scrub - I wouldn't want to use this on my legs like they do when I have a pedicure at the spa though - it would tear them up!  The only thing I wish it had was the nice minty smell that I like in a foot product, but it really has no smell at all.