Everyone seems to be jumping on the John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze bandwagon these days (see eBeautyDaily and The Beauty Newsletter), so I think it's time I threw my two cents in as well. I purchased the Glaze a couple of weeks ago and have now gone through half the bottle, so I am ready to share the results with you.

This product is an at-home glazing treatment designed to be used in the shower after shampooing and conditioning. Unlike the Clairol Natural Instincts Shine Happy which I reviewed a while back, this one contains no peroxide, so it's safe to use as frequently as you like, to add shine and refresh color (without lightening).

I found the packaging incredibly difficult to handle in the shower, which probably makes me sound quite uncoordinated, but it's true. The cap needs to be completely unscrewed and stashed somewhere during application, which is a bit of a pain as it kept slipping away and attempting to find its way to the drain. Additionally, the grooved bottom of the bottle makes it difficult to stand up in a shower caddy or wire mesh shelf. Ahem, packaging people! Listen up! This stuff needs a flip-top and a flat bottom. Wet hands and complicated packaging can turn anyone into a klutz.

Once I had a dollop of the product in hand, I spread it around my hair, but quickly noticed that most of it had migrated down my arms and back. I needed a couple more squirts to cover my hair. John Frieda would do well to add a thickening agent to the glaze to stop us from losing so much product during the application process.

I left it on a little longer than the requisite 3 minutes, rinsed, and then examined the results. After drying and styling, my hair seemed thicker and more manageable, but there was no real difference in shine (this is very similar to Elke's experience). Overall, the Shine Happy worked much better for me, and even with the developer and gloves, was surprisingly easier to handle.

After several uses, I still haven't noticed any more shine, but my hair does feel thicker and softer. For a thickening effect, this does the trick, but Shine Happy still wins in the glossiness category (and it requires less frequent use).