Around this time last year, I was looking through my gadgets and things (for my hair) and decided that I would quite like some curling tongs. Not that I had a desperate need for them, but I felt that my GHDs may be too strong for daily use (for curling) and the heated curlers I have (which are heated in a compartment and then applied to the hair) did not work as well.

I didn't want to spend too much though because I did not have a pressing need for them but I guess I wanted something new to play around with, so I began by looking online to see what was available and gauge a price range but there were so many different types which offered different options, and prices that I soon bored of this mission and thought I would just see what I saw out and about around Christmas time, and who knows, maybe someone would miraculously know to buy me one as a gift (they didn't!)

It was around January time when I was shopping in Boots and was browsing through their electricals while waiting for the assistant to come back after checking something for me when I saw these Babyliss curling tongs on special offer, making them £12 (plus a few pennies). Instantly, given the branding and tourmaline used on the tongs, I knew this was a bargain so snapped up a box.

When I got in, I wanted to have a play around with them straight away. Partly to see how they curled, and also to see if there was something hidden in the offer making them undesirable! I remember the packaging wasn't too extreme, the box was quite sturdy and once opened, the tongs were inside wrapped in a plastic bag accompanied by a page of written instructions regarding usage and safety. I unwrapped everything, had a quick read, plugged it in and was ready to go!

** Usage **

While the tongs are quite easy to operate, in that you plug them in and they begin to heat up, there is no way of knowing when they are ready for use (i.e. a beeping noise as on my GHDs) so I have always taken a guess and touched the metal and made a start. They do warm up quite quickly though so I guess maybe this is a personal preference rather than it affecting the product at all.

I do also find that the tongs can be a little fiddly due to my hair cut/styling which has lots of layers which are choppy and various lengths. I find the trick is to divide the hair into sections of similar length rather than where they happen to be on your head (as I do with the straighteners) so that most of the section will hook into the lower part of the barrel and most of the hair will then be intertwined around the barrel of the tongs meaning the tongs can be pushed up and everything gets heated and curled.

At first I found that some of my hair was falling out of the section while curling it around the tongs and that meant half of the section was curled, the rest was not - leading to a look that is not quite what I was going for (!) so sectioning by length helps.

** Verdict **

If these were all I had to rely on to curl my hair I really would not be too happy because it is time consuming and I really have to concentrate to get the desired effect! Having said that, I am in a position where I can compare to other means and I find they sit somewhere in the middle.

They take longer than my GHDs to do the job, but not as long as the heated curlers and also I have more control with them as to where the curl will sit (something I struggle with sometimes with the straighteners and always struggle with when it comes to the heated rollers).

In terms of staying power, the curls tend to stay in for the day or evening but not much past that. This could be due to my hair as it is quite thick and any curls begin to drop out quite quickly, but GHD curls last for a full day quite easily and heated rollers last a few hours at most.

I do like having the choice between styles and find that when I want quick curls in some areas rather than doing all of my hair (i.e. with a hair up-do) then this is a quick option.

I'll admit that I do not use them very often, but I much prefer them to the heated rollers and definitely do not regret parting with £12 for the purchase as I still feel this was a bargain!

So..... on that basis I would rate these tongs four out of five stars.

It could be improved if it an indicator of some sort to show when the tongs are heated and ready for use rather than me having to touch them and just guess as I'm sure that cannot be safe!

Thanks for reading (",)