Thursday 5th June was an exciting day for me. Never mind the fact that it was my birthday the very next day - I was finally going to get my hair cut! If you follow my blog or any of my social media accounts, this will be old news by now, and I wrote a blog post showing you my new hair; click here to see that post. This post today is going to be telling you all about Allertons, what makes it so special (In my humble opinion) and why I'll be going back there for any hair appointments that I will have in the future. If you're thinking that "it's just a salon", well you are in for a surprise - as I was when I visited for the first time! First and foremost, Allertons is a hair salon, but they also offer beauty treatments, GHD lessons, a bridal package and much more. They also sell an impressive range of exclusive products, including make up, fragrance and skincare. I think this sets them apart from other salons in Leeds and gives people a reason to not only come inside and take a look, but also to come back as future customers - I know I will be!




The first thing that struck me, as soon as I walked in, was how clean the store felt. That sounds like an odd word to use, but I can't think of a more appropriate description! Neutral grey and white walls, dark wooden flooring, black leather and chrome units made the whole environment feel calm and relaxing. I personally hate when a salon is covered in posters of random hair models - it really puts me off, because they bear no representation as to what the stylists inside can actually do. As far as I can recall, there were no pictures on the walls at all - and this made me far happier than it should have done! The store looked very professional, with the bright and colourful products being allowed to do the talking and draw my attention as I walked around (It was all too easy, trust me). Whilst there was a very impressive amount of products on display, it didn't feel overcrowded in the slightest, and everything had it's rightful place. As far as first impressions go, Allertons did very well and I was very excited to be getting my hair cut there!




As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by Dean Rose, assistant manager and the stylist who was going to be cutting and styling my hair. With over 15 years of hairdressing experience, and having previously worked with Nicky Clarke, I was very excited at the prospect of having my hair done by someone who really knew what they were doing. It sounds silly, but sometimes I've had my hair cut by people who seem no better than my mum - sad but true! I have to admit, I never usually like going to salons and trusting someone else with my hair, as I've never really gotten the results I wanted. With Dean, I can honestly say that I ended up trusting him completely with my hair. He was warm, friendly, chatty and not overbearing in the slightest - which is what I want from a person dealing with my hair! I felt completely comfortable with him right from the off, and he really put me at ease as I was feeling a bit apprehensive. He was confident without being cocky (We've all met one of those hair stylists!), and I really enjoyed talking to him about all things Allertons. As it was, we had plenty to talk about and he had lots of products to show me!





The three brands that really stood out to me among the impressive selection of products were Paul & Joe, NEOM Organics and Caudalie. Allertons is the only store in Leeds that sells Paul & Joe make up, and is the only store where you will find the entire range of NEOM Organics and Caudalie products. To say that I was in my element looking at everything is a massive understatement! Throughout my hair cut with Dean, he was showing me some of the products and explaining them to me. I have to say that I was extremely impressed with the knowledge that Dean (and the rest of the team at Allertons) have about the products - they really know everything inside out and there wasn't a question that they couldn't answer! Dean applied one of the Le Soft Perfumes on me - annoyingly I can't remember which one - and explained how they were alcohol free and kind to the skin. It smelt absolutely wonderful, and I kept sniffing it throughout the rest of my time there! He also told me about the GHD styling tools that they use and sell, along with the Shu Uemura hair care range. Dean washed my hair with the Cleansing Oil shampoo and conditioner before my cut, which use the power of oil to gently cleanse the hair and scalp without weighing it down or irritating the skin. They smelt fantastic, and really felt like a treat on my normally dry, heavy hair.








After having my hair cut with Dean, I managed to have a good look around the store and meet the manager, Nick, who was as equally friendly and easy to chat to as Dean was. He made me feel truly welcome in the store, and invited me to look at the products and answer any questions that I had. Being the beauty blogger that I am, I was drawn to the Paul & Joe make up stand in an instant. Allertons have a very substantial range - including the Summer 2014 collection - covering everything from foundation to nail polish and even a little bit of skincare thrown in too. Now, I have heard of the brand before and know of their products (Cat lipsticks, anyone?), but had never before been given the opportunity to play with the products and see them first hand. So, being able to do so, swatch some beautiful make up and really have a proper look at what they have to offer as a brand was a dream come true! Paul & Joe was launched by Sophie Mechaly in 2002, after the success of her fashion line. Her beauty range comprises of high quality products, using rich colours and housed in beautifully luxurious packaging. The packaging is so desirable, in fact, that they have become something of a collector's item and are designed to be that way; some of their products can be refilled rather than throwing the whole item away. I really like this, because not only would it kill me to throw away such stunning packaging, but it helps keep costs down and is kinder to the environment too, without compromising on quality. This is actually a theme that runs throughout the products used and sold at Allertons, which I was pleasantly surprised to find out. It explains why they sell the brands that they do; it's not a random selection, as you might expect, but a selection of products that all offer fantastic quality, and ones that deserve to be there in a salon of such high standards.





Next on my list of products to look at was the NEOM Organics range, and let me tell you now, I was in heaven! The NEOM home fragrance collection, which includes candles and reed diffusers, are produced with vegetable wax and pure essential oils. This means that they burn cleanly, and are actually beneficial for you, due to the oils' aromatherapeutic qualities. There's no soot or black smoke with these candles, and you can leave them burning next to a wall without the fear of black marks appearing on it. Like with the Paul & Joe make up, I had never seen the NEOM range in real life, let alone smelt them so I was in for a right treat. At the reception area, there was a NEOM Happiness candle burning and it made the place smell absolutely incredible. It wasn't overpowering, but just enough to cast a beautiful aroma throughout the salon and I kept catching the scent as I was having my hair done. The first thing I asked Nick was which candle it was that was burning, and after a quick browse of the other scents on offer, I decided to treat myself and purchase a full size, three wick Happiness candle. With notes of White Neroli, Mimosa and Lemon, it was alluring, calming and refreshing all at the same time, and having burned it since I can confirm that it still is the case. Another scent had caught my eye (or nose); the Refresh candle, a blend of Sicilian Lemon and Fresh Basil and it almost swayed my decision. With my purchase, Nick very kindly gave me a free travel size version of the Refresh candle, which along with 10% off made me a very happy girl indeed! The full size candles retail for £39.50, and I believe the travel size is £15, so to get one of each for £35.55 was an absolute steal. Until 29th June, Allertons are offering 20% off NEOM Organics candles.




After resisting the temptation to buy everything in the shop, Nick allowed me to take these pictures of the store and salon and sorted out my items for me. As I walked around, I had a look at the other brands that are available in the store. This included American Crew, a hair styling range for men; Evody, a fragrance brand that offered an unusual yet beautifully intense range of scents (The packaging reminded me of Jo Malone!) and Neville, a shaving and skincare range for men. I was pleased to see that they cater for men as well as women in Allertons, and I know that Martin would be happy to have his hair cut and styled there - especially as there was a pomade in the American Crew range! Along with the candles that I had bought, Dean also very kindly gave me some generous samples of the Cleansing Oil shampoo and conditioner that he had used on my hair, as well as the Essence Absolue by Shu Uemura. These were all packaged up beautifully, as you can see with my NEOM candle below and I felt very posh to be walking around with my Allertons bags! After having a picture taken by Nick (Click here if you want to see - as Nick pointed out I was colour-coordinated perfectly!), it was time for me to head home and show my new hair to Martin!




I honestly can't sing the praises of Allertons enough - I was so, so impressed with the store and the people behind it. I've received endless compliments about my hair and I've had several people asking me where I had it done - to which I give them a ten minute speel about Allertons and how amazing it is! Although I received my hair cut and style for free, I would very happily pay the £45 it costs to have a cut and blow dry, and will be doing in the future. As it is, all of the prices - from hair to beauty treatments and everything in between - are all reasonably and fairly priced and there is nothing that I consider to be excessively expensive. Everything from the talent and skills of the team, down to the products they use is the very best of the best and I can guarantee that when you leave, you will be feeling amazing! Allertons just have the one store in The Light at the moment, but are hopefully going to expand and have more stores and salons opening up within the next few years - I can't wait to see how they get on.

To book an appointment with Allertons, you can find all the information you need on their website - either by calling, emailing or using their online booking system. I would highly recommend Dean, but every stylist and consultant at Allertons are excellent at what they do and have the background and knowledge to prove it. You can even tweet them or send them a message on Facebook if you like - the team at Allertons are really very friendly and nothing is too much trouble for them. You can tell them that I sent you!