For anyone with short to medium-length hair who wants a textured, structured look, such as crops, quiffs, swept-back or messy piece-y styles, and would rather use one product than switch between a cream, a paste and a wax.

It's a retail styling product applied with the fingers, so no professional technique is needed. On fine hair, start with a very small amount so the style doesn't look heavy.

Most stylers make you choose: a cream for softness, a paste for texture or a wax for hold. Over Achiever is built to do all three at once, which is why Matrix describes it as spreading like a cream, texturizing like a paste and holding like a wax. The practical upside is flexibility: because it never sets tacky, you can reshape the look through the day with your fingers instead of washing out and starting again.

• Take a small amount and warm it between your fingertips.
• Work it through damp or dry hair to create the look you want.
• Rework the style throughout the day as needed.

• Pro: One jar covers the jobs of a cream, a paste and a wax, from smoothing to texture to hold.
• Pro: Not tacky or sticky, and it can be reworked during the day without adding more product.
• Pro: Works on damp or dry hair, so it suits both blow-dried and quick finger-styled looks.
• Con: Contains beeswax, so it isn't an option for anyone avoiding animal-derived ingredients.
• Con: Fragranced, with allergens such as limonene, linalool and coumarin listed.
• Con: A small 50 ml jar; heavy daily use on longer hair goes through it quickly.