“The Lipstick Effect” is the notion that during times of societal crisis, individuals seek to spend money on small indulgences or affordable luxuries to treat themselves. Certainly, as we all try not to lose it during this lockdown, the urge to coddle oneself becomes more irresistible the longer this pandemic continues. Sitting in our houses, direly in need of both a morale boost and simply something to do, what better time to enact “The Lipstick Effect” to its full potential and indulge in a potentially fabulous (and potentially disastrous) hair transformation?

I’ve been keen to try Bleach London hair dye for a while: it’s vegan, cruelty-free, and has a visually pleasing Instagram account that I’ve been following since I was thirteen years old. However, after reading a few scathing reviews I became determined to decide for myself if Bleach London was nothing more than a trendy aesthetic. I bought one bottle of Bleach London’s Awkward Peach and one bottle of The Big Pink for £12.50 from lookfantastic.com, for a rose-gold vibe. But does it live up to its stylish reputation?

Here’s how it went down:

Easy?: Yes. The instructions state that you wash your hair, apply the dye when still wet, let it sit for thirty minutes and then wash out.

Messy?: Didn’t stain my shower, but left the faintest pink shadow on my sheets when I went to bed. Make sure you rinse out thoroughly.

Does it stain?: It worryingly stained my hands and forehead, but came off pretty easily with a quick scrub with soap

Initial thoughts?: LOVE IT! I love it so much that I’m thinking of making this permanent. Unsure whether Awkward Peach added anything to the mix, but I got a lovely warm pink. I only have highlights versus the complete bleach job that the brand recommends before using their dyes, so although I loved the result, I didn’t achieve the vibrancy shown on the packaging. Following this thought, the dye didn’t really affect my roots at all, which means it definitely won’t work on darker hair. BUT my hair felt luxuriously soft and perfumed, without any chemical smell.

How long does it last?: Awkward Peach says it lasts from 1-5 washes and The Big Pink lasts from 2-10 washes. As the dye fades it definitely gets more patchy, and the original vibrant colour turns very quickly to a pale pink. After Wash Three in as many days, my grandmother would regularly “thank God” that I was “almost back to normal,” but there was still a vague pink tint which took around seven showers to completely wash out. Think of investing in the Bleach London Washing Out Liquid if you find this grey area (or, I guess, pink area) too infuriating.

Conclusions?: If you have mid-to-dark blonde hair, definitely opt for the more vivid colours in the Bleach collection: The Big Pink, Odd Fuchsia, Tangerine Dream, I Saw Red, Aubergine Dream, and Burnt Peach. Unless you’ve taken the trouble to completely bleach your hair white, steer clear of Rosé, no matter how beautiful it looks. However, I’m absolutely in love with my new hair and completely recommend a Bleach London makeover to anyone looking for a quick and cheeky transformation - just choose the colour carefully if you want your money’s worth.

Honestly, if you decide you hate the colour, you can have a giggle and live with the soothing assurance that the enforced isolation of your friends, family, and mortal nemesis will allow you to live out your incriminating dye job in peace. If you love it, then you can enjoy the glowing anticipation of your momentous post-lockdown debut!

Lizzy Laycock is a third year student at the University of Edinburgh studying English Literature and History.