Review: Schwarzkopf Live Colour Ultra Brights in Magnetic Purple

I've been bleaching and dyeing my own hair now for the last 4 or so years, and in that time, I've become what I'd consider a bit of a connoisseur of funky hair colours. I've gone from turning the grout in the shower stall a variety of colours, much to the consternation of my other half, who is arguably the more responsible for the two of us, to touching up my colour without my husband realising the moment he steps into the bathroom. A big improvement for my tiles, and my relationship! It's also given me a bit of appreciation for brands that don't seem to make as much of a mess, while still being able to give me the vibrant shade I'm after.

 

Unfortunately for my hair, I feel like a lot of the brands that I adore for bright, fun colours tend to be available overseas, and not so much over here. For some reason, we can only find certain brands in specialty stores, and I would love to be able to shop at my regular chemist, like Priceline, and pick up what I want, but until then, it's at least given me the chance to try out what we currently have easily available! I was recently given the Schwarzkopf Live Colour Ultra Brights in Magnetic Purple, and while it's not my all time favourite, it's actually quite a decent, affordable option here in Australia!

 

The Schwarzkopf Live Colour Ultra Brights range is exactly what it sounds like - 8 semi-permanent colours that are meant to last up to 10 washes, and give your hair an extra zing. Having seen them in store before, and knowing that it was only about 10 washes, I'd already put these into the too hard basket in my mind, but I really should have known better, and actually read the instructions! Just to put things in perspective - if I need to trot out my hair dyeing towel and put on an old t-shirt, as well as putting cloths down so that there aren't any casualties that end up covered the streaks of purple, then I'd like for it to last for longer than 10 washes!

 

As it turns out, this is actually a conditioning colour mask that's ready for use, with very little prep involved, if you'd prefer it that way! Simply shampoo and towel dry your hair, then leave it on for anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on how intense you'd like for it to be, then rinse it out. My preferred way of using this is when I'm already in the shower, and I pop it on and put my hair up into a hair clip, just to let it sit for a few minutes, when I'm in need of a colour top up for when my hair is losing a bit of vibrancy. 

 

This packs a surprisingly potent punch, and when it gets onto other materials and items not intended to be covered in dye, it's very hard to get off, but it doesn't stick around on your bathroom floor, which is a bonus. It has a bit of a hair dye smell that sticks around until you wash your hair with shampoo again, and while it does do a decent job of covering the intended bits of hair, I find the colour to be a darker purple that is maybe a little less bright than the box would suggest. Overall, though, it's a readily available and budget friendly pick me up for the hair, especially when you can find it on sale from it's usual $14. Have you tried any of the colours from the Live Colour Ultra Brights collection?

*This product was provided for editorial consideration