hoyu Beautylabo hair dye review - honey beige

I dyed my hair on Sunday because the annoying regrowth was really getting on my nerves. Plus I wanted to try out hoyu's Beautylabo hair dye series now to ensure the colours will come out for formal. So here's a review.

As an Asian (Japanese to be precise) hair dye, the colour is intended for dark hairs. I'm not sure if there is bleach in this product but I can definitely smell the presence of ammonia. Beautylabo is produced by the same company as the well-know Beauteen but is targeted at a more mature market, or so it claims. I ordered mine in Honey Beige from Ebay.

The box is quite cute. Just a bit squished from being posted all the way from Hong Kong.

Inside the box there are: 1 colour paste-like thing that comes in a tube (labelled 1) which reminds me of those olden toothpaste tubes. 1 colour developer (if that's what it is called, labelled 2) in a bottle. You squeeze the content of the tube into the bottle. Close the lid tightly then shake vigorously for 30 times. I kind of overkilled it and shook like there was no tomorrow. Then there is the comb applicator which replaced the lid when applying the hair dye. Instructions, hair conditioner for shower and gloves come in that neat little paper wrap. It is so adorable.

Since the instructions are in Japanese, I just took a photo for its cuteness.

Try to dye your hair when it is oily. The natural oils will help the dye to stick better. So I didn't wash my hair the night before I dyed it. So on Sunday with my oily head, I mixed 1 and 2 together and screwed on the comb applicator. I put on an old shirt that I wear for painting and used an old towel to tuck in the collars. I squeezed the smelly hair dye out and massaged the dye into my roots with both my fingers and the comb. I didn't dye my ends though because I didn't want to damage them further. Leave the dye in for approximately 15 minutes give or take, depending on the thickness of your hair strand. Thick hair will need 20 minutes while thinner hair will need 10 minutes.

Do not leave the dye in for more than 20 minutes. I left mine for 20 minutes because I was paranoid that the colour wouldn't turn out. But I am really happy with the result.

Before (with flash)

Before (natural lighting)

Before side view (natural lighting)

After (with flash)

After (natural lighting)

After side view (natural lighting)

The colour is actually a lot lighter in real life. I think it is quite close to what the box depicts. So my final verdict:
Pros:
♥ Terrific for dark and black hair.
♥ It doesn't stain your skin. I was quite messy and got it all over my ears. But the dye only seem to cling onto hair, not skin.
♥ Cute packaging.
♥ One box is sufficient for med-long hair. It was just enough for me.

Cons:
♥ Smells like ammonia.
♥ Instructions are in Japanese (I had to guess).
♥ Extremely overpriced in Australia so I had to resort to Ebay.

I think in the end, I would definitely use this again because the colour has turned out so well. I've used Beauteen before and that was a success too. So a big thumbs up for hoyu! Plus no more regrowth. I love love love it!