Last weekend l attended my very first event in London with Josh Wood Colour! While I was extremely chuffed to be invited , for anyone that knows me this is something totally out of my comfort zone. Traveling by myself , to meet people I had never met before, staying in an unfamiliar city …. a few years ago it wouldn’t have happened.

This year it did.

It took 2 hours on the train to transport this Yorkshire lass from Midland Station, Sheffield to St Pancras, London … and a further 45 minutes to get just a few miles across London to Holland Park where Josh Wood Colour is situated ! Crazy London traffic …

Holland Park is a beautiful part of London. Pretty pastel houses, cherry blossoms with instagrammable cafes on every corner. Some of the houses look amazing and according to my Uber driver they should do because they cost millions.

After ‘ohhing & ahhing’ at the houses, and pondering “who lives in a house like this” , we eventually pulled up outside a black building sprinkled with bright, colorful flowers.

Welcome to Josh Wood Colour . If any building was going to make you smile it would definitely be this one. Apparently the installation / theme is changed every few months.

THE ATELIER

You buzz to enter. I like that … [ I know what your thinking … she obviously doesn’t get out much ]

You walk straight into Reception where you are welcomed by a couple of friendly faces, a seating area and the full range of Josh Wood products on display across 2 walls.

Now I have to admit I was pretty nervous [ make that very nervous ] but I really shouldn’t have been , everyone was so friendly and welcoming. There is a fabulous atmosphere which was evident straight away.

After being given a quick tour of the Atelier by Natalie and Frankie I was escorted into the VIP room . This is where the likes of Victoria Beckham have their tresses teased.

It’s a beautiful area with large open windows that allows for lots of amazing , natural light to flood in . Like the rest of the building the decor is extremely tasteful.

I had ‘ummed and arrhed’ about sticking on some false nails the night before I travelled. Due to the state of my own nails I decided it was a good idea. My trusty Primarni specials were applied. Typically one of the first questions I got asked, along with what would I like to drink, was did I also want my nails doing?! Meh!!

It wasn’t a problem [ the wonderful ] Heather filed and painted over ‘my specials’ I loved the colour she recommended ‘ Go Overboard‘  a deep teal by Essie … AND I loved Heather. She has worked for Josh Wood since the very beginning and is probably one of the loveliest ladies I have ever had the pleasure to meet. So very easy to chat too; I felt even more at ease.

My nails looking great and fully coffee’d up, I then met with Melanie my colourist with the beautiful red hair.

Melanie had already introduced herself to me over on Instagram the night before. I thought this was a really nice touch. Melanie had ‘done’ Erica Davies hair that day , and as I follow Erica, I knew I was in very safe hands.

It was agreed that my pesky grey roots needed touching up first. That my ends which where slightly too dark and Elvis-esq thanks to a build up of dye would have a clarifying shampoo applied to them to see whether this would lift the colour slightly.

After 30 minutes they would both be rinsed off and I would have one of the new shade shot gloss’s applied.

WHAT ARE SHADE SHOT GLOSS ?

Shade shot gloss aren’t available until the 3rd July BUT I had the pleasure to be amongst one of the first to try them before their launch .

Shade shots are a semi-permanent glossing treatment that lasts up to 6 washes per application. They are ideal for use between colours to refresh and revive . With a built-in SPF it is also amazing to take away with you and use on your holidays to condition and protect your locks.

There are currently 4 shades available:

• Icy Blonde
• Champagne Blonde
• Smokey Brunette
• Chestnut Brunette

The gloss will either cool down or warm up your tone depending on the desired effect you require.

I am Tracey and I’m a Smokey Brunette which neutralises un-wanted orange and red tones .

This was applied all over my hair , avoiding the scalp and left to work it’s magic. After 20 Minutes it was rinsed off and I was treated to a delicious head massage.

Despite being left feeling like a Stepford wife [ dazed and blank from the massage ] I could already see a difference . It’s subtle but it is noticeable; my hair felt softer and my colour looked richer.

“Colour that cares for your hair is the most important thing to me ” says Josh Wood

“Without good condition , it’s really difficult to get premium colour results. I designed the semi-permanent treatment gloss to condition as it colours and leaves your hair shiny, healthy looking and feeling great”

My Shade Shot [ above ] will be fabulous for my weekend away in Malaga

I didn’t have my hair cut so the next stop was styling. My stylist was the very smart and very entertaining Nicholas who classes Victoria Beckham as one of his clients!

After a quick chat we decided to keep my hair smooth but flick it out at the ends slightly to give it a more edgy look. By keeping it smooth it would really highlight the shine … and boy did it shine. It looked like it could cut glass. I was very impressed.

The whole process from consultation to finish was an absolute pleasure.

SO WHO IS JOSH WOOD?

Josh started out his career as a Saturday boy in a hair-dressing salon in Barnsley before moving to Leeds to carry on his training at Vidal Sasoon.

After he qualified he returned to London and in 2011 he opened Josh Wood Colour. In 2018 believing that great hair colour should be available to all , no matter what your budget, he launched his home – colour range.

On a personal level and after spending a rather splendid evening in his company I can confirm that he is a genuinely lovely, warm and likeable Yorkshireman [he hails from Barnsley, I’d expect nothing less ] with an equally fabulous husband / business partner and team behind him.

It is clear he is very driven and passionate about his brand; ensuring that good quality hair colour is accessible to ALL.

HOW CAN I GET THE JOSH WOOD EFFECT FOR MYSELF?

If you are London-based or fancy a few days away to treat yourself … The Atelier is based at 6 Lansdowne Mews, London W11 3AN

If that’s not feasible but you still want a piece of Josh Wood you can pop onto their website and take an online consultation. Based on your hair colour / type etc. Josh and his team will personally recommend the products they think would be most suitable for you. You can then order these directly from the website // HERE

Alternatively the full range of his award-winning home-colour products are available exclusively in Boots stores throughout the country.

As I have said on more than one occasion…I was gob-smacked quite a lot of the time over the weekend.

Everything was fabulous – especially our hair – and I feel like I took a few little steps towards conquering my anxiety.

Thank-you so much for having me and thank-you for making me shine!

 

Tracey x

• The hair treatments, overnight stay at the amazing Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel which also including the meal at The Neptune and tickets to The Glamour Exhibition – were all courtesy of Josh Wood Colour with no obligation to post. Thank-you .
• As usual ALL words, opinions and photographs are strictly my own and as you know I only work with brands I really love.

At The Glamour Festival Saturday morning with Nikki – Midlife Chic , Kim – Feel Good Mum, Josh Wood and Mikhila – Miss Budget Beauty

One from the bedroom

With the Lovely Kim – Feel Good Mum

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