Right before my trip to Hawaii, my two-month old highlights were looking a little sad, so I hunted in the beauty closet for something that would give my hair a little lift.

I picked up L'Oreal Colorist Secrets Shine Gloss, which I was hoping would do the trick - it's a clear glaze you apply at home, leave on for 10 minutes, and rinse off. It's similar to Clairol Shine Happy, with which I had great results a few years ago, so I decided to give it a go.

Before I start, here's a little background -- neither Shine Gloss nor Shine Happy are meant to change the color of your hair, but I found that Shine Happy (thanks to a little bit of peroxide) really did a great job of refreshing my highlights while adding significant shine. I know a lot of others had lackluster results with this product, but I honestly really liked it and have used it several times since my original review.

So I opened the box of Shine Gloss with the same intentions and the same expectations. Application is similar; you wear disposable gloves, mix up the gloss product and the developer, apply thoroughly to hair, and leave on for 10 minutes. Then, rinse in the shower (no need to shampoo) and generously apply the included conditioner, leaving it in for a few minutes.

When I touched my hair post-application -- even when it was still wet -- I could immediately feel that it was softer and more manageable, with fewer knots and tangles. Upon drying, my blonde highlights indeed looked newer. Score!

As for shine? I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed. While I definitely see a difference in softness and manageability, as well as that nice little lift in color, my hair just doesn't look much shinier...at all. I'd use Shine Gloss again to refesh highlights, but won't be expecting any significant results in the shine department.