Directions Lavender// Review and Before and After

This spring, I decided to go lavender again, and after pretty much using up Crazy Colour's lavender, I picked up the directions lavender I had lying around and finally got round to using it. I was pretty impressed! It packs a punch and turned out really cute, if quite pink.
(Also, apologies for the slightly low-res pictures, it's been a bit gloomy here in the UK lately)

Cost// 

Directions are great in terms of cost- the pots are fairly small at 88ml, but only about £4-5. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone who wants quality hair dye on a budget. Plus, it's cruelty free and vegan :) It's really pigmented so you can dilute it with conditioner for a pastel colour- one pot will last you months this way.

Application// 

Application was pretty easy and my hair feels so smooth- I mixed it into my Toni & Guy hair mask. Directions is definitely not damaging on your hair though.

Before// 

I put it over faded pink dye:

After// 

It turned out sooo much darker than I expected! And so much pinker! I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, as Directions' Carnation Pink has insane pigmentation.
I had just been using Crazy Colour Lavender which seemed to be less pigmented, so I put a lot of dye in this time and it came out much stronger than I'd have liked.

Application came out a teeny bit patchy (that might be just me though- I wasn't the most thorough on application this time round.) And I also think purple hair dye does tend to be patchier?

Longevity//

I actually wanted to fade it out quite quickly, but this colour has quite a lot of staying power. I washed it about four times (shampooing twice with a non-colour friendly shampoo) and most of it has faded into light pastel pink, apart from the roots which I did a bit stronger. So, it's quite hard to shift in a rush.
This is definitely a plus for those who want to keep their hair colour! But it's worth bearing in mind for those of us who like changing their hair up a lot, or if you need to wash it out for school etc.

Almost all the colour came out in about 6 washes because I used quite a harsh shampoo

Overall// 

This might be the last chance I get to do a really intense colour job, so I'm kind of glad it turned out as bright as it did. But, I definitely prefer a more pastel colour on me. I think I'll use the rest of this really diluted to make it a more pastel tint next time, and I'd use it on silver toned hair to make it a more lavender colour. I also might try Lilac, which seems to be a bit of a cooler tone.

Thanks for reading! Check out my other hair dye reviews:

L'OREAL COLORISTA WASHOUT IN LILAC REVIEW AND BEFORE AND AFTER: 2018 RE-REVIEW//
CRAZY COLOR LAVENDER// REVIEW AND BEFORE AND AFTER
SCHWARZKOPF LIVE STEEL SILVER 098 REVIEW AND BEFORE AND AFTER