Part of my end-of-year TO-DOs include the fun task of itemizing my bills. And year after year, I am astounded by how much I spend at the salon. Whether it’s my weekly mani-pedi, monthly massage, or costly coloring appointments, it adds up. Beauty (and even maintenance) can be expensive. So this year I’m making a pledge to cut spending in that department. It was easy enough to learn how to paint my own nails, but I was a little nervous about a solution for my hair coloring. I was anxious about trying a boxed hair dye, but knew it was the only option to save some cash. I then found out about a company that assures you can color at home with confidence, even if you’ve never done it before. It’s called Madison Reed.

With Madison Reed, an online hair-coloring service, all I had to do was complete their online quiz that gave me my perfect color match. I was pretty amazed that by just answering a few questions, they were able to provide me with a color I really liked on the model in the picture. But I wondered how it would look on me. I called one of their expert colorists and explained my dilemma, and she eased my mind that my hair would look just as good as in the salon. She also explained how to apply the color. Seemed simple enough….

I ordered one bottle for $24.95, which was so much less than my $300 coloring appointments. The formula was really creamy and not drippy or smelly at all like I had expected after hearing stories from my friends who have tried other boxed dye brand. But it was a well thought out process and took less than an hour to work. Then I just rinsed and blew it dry. My hair came out super soft and so much shinier than I thought it would be. It must have been the keratin and ginseng root in their formula.

The best part about Madison Reed is that even someone like me who didn’t trust anyone but my long-time colorist could use it to supplement my trips to the salon. And I actually got compliments on my color that I hadn’t gotten before. I still love a day in the salon, but it’s much more realistic for me to cut down, and I can thanks to Madison Reed.

Madison Reed make me look and feel beautiful.

Update: The folks at Madison Reed want to help you find your perfect color. Follow this link to get salon-quality hair color at home!