I also use Preference by Loreal - I use the cream - it's not as drippy.
My tips -
1 - If your hair is close to shoulder length or longer get a helper for the back of your head.
2 - If it's longer than shoulder length you may need 2 boxes to get all of your hair
3 - Put cream all around your the skin close to your hairline (forehead, ears, behind ears, neck) it will keep the drips from discoloring your skin
4 - Have a few grocery store plastic bags handy - one for garbage (it's so stinky you want to have that bag open and handy as you go along to discard items that you're done with) and another to put on your head once all the product is in your hair
5 - wear old clothes - really grubby clothes you you truly do not care about. No matter what you will drip some of the product on your shoulder, chest, etc.
6 - Have a few paper towels and a box of tissues hand to wipe up product - paper towels for the bathroom counter, floor - tissues for your forhead, neck, ears, etc.
7 - use clips and big fat comb to separate out sections of hair as you go along.
8 - Do all around your face - right & left - before you go towards the back of your head. This will help to make the color around your face to be uniform and not lighter on one side than the other.
9 - Have an old towel around you shoulders if you can (it doesn't always work - can get in the way with longer hair, etc.) We have a formerly white hair coloring towel in our house - filled with blobs and drip and wipes of hair coloring.
Good luck mama. I've been coloring my own hair for more than 10 years. I've saved soooooo much money! But I must say - when it's longer it is more difficult - when it's short it's easy! My 17 yr old daughter is a great helper - but she goes away to college in the Fall!!!!