Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Shu Uemura Art of Hair Volume Maker review

          For years, I've entrusted my lash hairs to Shu Uemura's iconic lash curler. I recently found out that Shu Uemura has a line for the other crop of hair on my head, called Art of Hair. Today I have the brand new Shu Uemura Volume Maker to share with you today. The Volume maker is the first precision powder brush designed for hair, containing 'invisible' powder that adds instant volume, texture, and lift to the roots. As someone with thin hair, this is my kind of product.



          Much of the Shu Uemura Volume Maker's appeal lies in its unique and beautiful packaging. It's very zen, no? You can see how this brush ended hair product was inspired by Shu's makeup brushes. I've seen a number of click-application lip and cheek products, but this is the first time I've seen one for hair. The innovative brush design is thought to give more control in application. The ebony brush has thick 'natural' fibers that are neatly protected by a slide-up plastic protective mechanism so that you won't be bending any hairs backward when you cap it. You can see below that the texturizing powder product is housed inside and visible through the clear plastic end of the Volume Maker. It's hard not to fall in love with the sleek black packaging and the decorative red print.

          To use the Shu Uemura Volume maker, one clicks the tail end button three times and brushes the area of the head where volume is desired. It's best to distribute with circular gestures. It can be used to provide volume and structure or to refresh (read: clean) your hair as needed. It's similar in concept to a dry shampoo, however it's invisible and non-starch based. I'll admit that I was skeptical as to the need for a makeup brush head in a hair product. However, I found that the limited and diffused application through the brush head itself gives control to the application. There is no fall out (though even if there was it would be invisible). Because the powder is not noticeably white, I can avoid the fussing and mussing that is normally required to blend the white of my favorite dry shampoos into my dark hair. The brush does most of the blending for me, though I do run my fingers through a couple times as well. There was noticeable volume and increased texture when I brushed the Shu Uemura Volume maker on my roots. The compact size and wand shape make it perfect to throw in my purse to go. The non aerosol form makes it airplane friendly too. 

Ingredients: Silica Silylate, Aqua/water, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., VP/VA Copolymer, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, F.I.L. (D49609/1).
          Overall, the Shu Uemura Volume Maker is a beautiful, no-mess volumizing and texturizing perfect for ladies on the go. At $48 for 2g, it is certainly packs a luxury price tag. That said, I think the volume maker fills an original niche in the market for a portable and luxe hair touch up product. Thanks for reading! Have you tried any Shu Uemura Art of Hair products? What do you think of a hair applicator shaped like a makeup brush?

Love, Dovey.

Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration by PR. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own. 

18 comments:

  1. everyone speaks of how amazing Shu's hair line is so it's exciting to read a review, and god dang their packaging is so nice!
    First time i heard of this powder from Shu for your hair! its interesting!!!

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    1. Hi J, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I completely swooned over the packaging. It's gorgeous (and I guess what you'd hope from Shu).

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  2. It's a neat concept and the packaging is certainly gorgeous. But I hope they offer refills - it would be a shame to throw away $50, not to mention the perfectly good packaging and that animal's hair, every time you run out of powder.

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    1. Hi Caroline, I also had that thought as well; I do prefer avoiding use of animal hair whenever possible and the product could have been better had it been made of synthetics! Refills are of course also eco-friendly :)

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  3. I never use dry shampoo, but this one is indeed pretty unique! I like the airplane-friendly aspect as well. Not that I travel THAT much, but I would appreciate having this for my annual trip. My roots always become SO flat after being in the air for 17 hours. They could do with some volumizing for sure!

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    1. Hi Sunny, airplanes are really good at hair flattening, I would agree! Last time I traveled, I brought my powder dry shampoo, despite it being unwieldy!

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  4. AnonymousJuly 12, 2012

    So cool and neat packaging! I don't use dry shampoo, but my daughter does. I don't think their hair products are sold up here in Canada though. :( At least I've never seen them up here in my neck of the woods.

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    1. Hi Tracy, I don't think I've seen them around in the typical spots either! I've always thought it's easiest to find Shu online

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    2. Hi Tracy,

      I know that Holt Renfrew sells Shu Uemura hair products but only at the Vancouver and Bloor St. locations. :S That being said, if you want a specific hair product and live close to a different Holt Renfrew then they can have the item transferred to the location closest to you for no extra charge.
      If you don't live close to a Holts they can ship right to your door for a $12 shipping fee as well.

      I hope that helps! :)

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  5. I love shu uemura, their makeup and hair products rock! I have to check this out for sure, thank you for the review and gorgeous pics <3

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    1. Hi Claire, Thanks!! I wish we had more access to Shu, they certainly made beautiful products!

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  6. I had no idea they had such a product, but Shu is so expensive that I try not to pay too much attention to them. It's an interesting take on dry shampoo with fluffy brush like that!

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    1. Hi Liz, I agree, they're quite expensive! I did think this was a very different kind of hair tool, as you mentioned :)

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  7. AnonymousJuly 15, 2012

    Oh, this sounds really cool! I for sure need some type of volumizing product... but probably will never get to try this one, since it is quite pricey! i tried a sample of their cleansing oil shampoo, and it was really nice! too expensive to purchase though, unless i had a discount or something.

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    1. Hi Bronzerbunny, it is nice, but is definitely a luxury!

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  8. is the volumizing aspect of the ingredients in the powder any better than others? or do people mainly just like it for the brush? couldnt you just use a powder volumizer/dry shampoo and apply it with a makeup brush and get the same effective...very curious...because im a volume product addict that likes to penny pinch. I also have very oily thin hair!

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    1. Hi Tracy! I think the product's main selling point is it's compactness --- which makes it easy to carry around! I think you could use a volumizer with a brush and get a similar effect, thought it would be messier! Also, I think the Shu is silica based, while traditional dry shampoos are starch based which is why they're white and may take a bit more blending in than a makeup brush could handle :)

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  9. Hi Dovey,
    So happy to stumble on your lovely blog! My stylist has used this on my twice LOVE LOVE LOVE. He got it in Barcelona, so I was googling around to see where I could purchase this product here. I like the idea that it will travel easily too. I found a site that had it for $31...hope its legit! all the best! DD

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