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Remington CI95 Pearl Wand
by MikeBorry
~*~*~ Remington Pearl Curling Wand ~*~*~
~ What is it? ~
This is a wand shaped curling iron with a conical barrel. It is by the makers - Remington and is part of their Pearl range where there are other hair items available.
~ Why did I buy it? ~
Having owned a curling wand for some time now, it ... is something that I use on a pretty much daily basis. I love adding waves or curls to my naturally poker straight hair and after dropping my previous Babyliss wand which unfortunately didn't survive said drop, I knew I wanted to replace it pretty quickly.
I could have simply used curling tongs but I find that a wand takes less than half the time of conventional tongs so I went on the hunt. I was tempted to replace the Babyliss with another Babyliss but then I saw the Remington wand and opted for that instead.
I am not really brand loyal when it comes to heated hair appliances however I do seem to have an abundance of Babyliss items with a few other makes thrown in, so I wasn't worried about what brand to choose from, I just thought a change would be good!
~ Using the curling wand ~
If you are a beginner in hair curling I can highly recommend a curling wand. The main difference is that there is no clamp/grip on these which closes on the hair so you never have to worry about an unsightly kink in the ends of the hair.
With a wand you are in control and you can choose the fatter end of the wand or the thinner to achieve the curl you want, you can also work with larger sections of hair meaning you can get the task in hand complete in no time.
The wand is pretty large to work with as you have the large handle where the buttons and LCD screen are located and upon that you have the heated part, the wand is tapered and has a heat proof tip. The largest part of the wand is 25mm and the smallest is 13mm, this allows you to achieve a good range of curls in sizes you want.
I tend to work from the underneath of my hair upwards, to do so I section it off using a clip or hair bobble, I then curl the underneath section, bring another straight section down, curl that, and repeat until all of my hair is curled.
The wand gives me a lot more range as I can wrap my hair around the barrel from root to tip rather than the opposite way you do when using hair tongs. I usually start around a quarter of the way down my hair so that it doesn't curl at the root area.
Before I do that however I first have to plug them in and switch them on. To switch them on you have to press a little power button on the bottom handle part, above this you will see a plus + and minus - button, this is how you control the temperature, the temperatures range from 130 to 210, above the buttons is a small LCD screen showing what temperature you have chosen, there is a little bar that increases by three to show the heat up time and when it stops moving through the bars and stops on a steady three bar then that means it is ready to use. At the lowest temperature (130) the heat up time is a quick 30 seconds, however I tend to use them on 210, the highest and this takes around 90 seconds to fully heat up, but I do still think this is extremely quick, especially when I compare it to my tongs which take a good 15 - 20 minutes to fully heat up and work properly.
When they have reached the desired temperature they are ready to use.
Included in the box is a heat protection glove. This just looks like a thick black cotton glove and it does work very well.
When I first started using curling wands I thought I didn't really need the glove but I was wrong! I ended up burning my index finger quite badly, my thumb and tip of my ring finger also got burnt ... Not good!
Learn from my mistake - Use the glove provided!
You need the glove as to fully curl the hair you need to wrap it around the wand and when you get to the end you need to hold the hair in place for at least 10 seconds, a little longer for thicker hair sections. I tend to hold the whole curl around the wand barrel to keep all the hair in place so I do find the glove very useful, as I have gotten used to using them however if I am doing my hair quickly I don't tend to need the glove so much.
Obviously with the high temperature of this wand you need to use some sort of heat protection product on the hair to protect it. I use Treseme Heat Defence spray which I apply before I blow dry my hair and then before I use the wand I smooth a small amount of Argan Oil through my hair, this helps keep my curls soft and smooth and also stops them from going frizzy which I think is quite important, the oil also stops my hair from getting damaged which is even more important!
You work with sections of hair, wrap it around the wand from the top to the tip, you then hold the hair in place for 10 seconds or so and when you let the curl drop it should be perfect, if not you can easily re-wrap the hair around to get your desired result.
I like how easy and versatile they are to use. The time is dramatically reduced from using regular tongs, where that can take anywhere from an hour onwards these allow me to curl my hair in around 15 - 20 minutes which I really like.
They have a handy lock feature which is symbolised by a padlock on the LCD screen. I found that I was reducing the temperature and even turning them off before I realised this feature existed. You simply have to put it on your desired temperature and then hold in the minus - button for two seconds for it to lock and that way you can use it without the worry of turning it down or off.
~ Pearl Wand ~
The wand is very aesthetically pleasing, they are coloured in mainly black with a small amount of flower detail at the top of the handle, the buttons are coloured in a pale pearly like colour. The actual wand bit is black and slightly sparkly, it has a ceramic coating with real pearl. The heat is evenly distributed and it has a small black cool tip.
They do look nice and professional .
They also have a 3m salon length swivel cord.
In the box you also get a black thick cotton heat protection glove.
They have a 5yr guarantee.
Even the box is pretty looking with its black and pearl colouring and floral hints.
~ Price & Availability ~
I purchased my wand from Amazon where it cost a decent £19.99.
It can also be bought from Boots, Argos and Tesco to name a few and costs roughly the same price as I bought it for.
~ Overall ~
I have owned this Remington Pearl Wand for around a month or just over now and I have to say I am very impressed. I have used them on a weekly basis with me curling my hair three maybe four times a week, I just find them so easy and simple to use and love the results I achieve when using them. I really have nothing bad to say about the wand itself. It looks nice, feels nice to use. I do think when you first start using wands the overall size on them can seem like they are a little too large and cumbersome but you soon get used to this and then find conventional tongs seem a little small.
The wand is comfortable to hold and curls my hair brilliantly.
I tend to use the highest heat setting on everything, and so far my hair is showing no ill effects, but as I have already mentioned I do make sure I use heat protection products to protect my hair.
The curls last incredibly well, I have gotten two days of neat curly curls but as I do tend to wash my hair on a daily basis they don't have a chance to stay any longer! I have curled my hair in the evening and found no need to re-do it the following morning as they hold very well indeed.
There is one bad point to the set however. Included in the box is a heat proof pouch. It is quite nice to look at, it feels like a nice item but I don't see the point of it much if I am being honest. It does protect the wand well but I would have preferred a pouch that you could fit the whole of the wand into including the plug and cord, just for convenience really. Whilst it does do a good job of protecting the wand itself, it doesn't really hold much purpose for packing it away as I like to be able to do this in a neat fashion! That's just my opinion!
I do really the wand though and I would recommend it to anyone wishing to curl their hair. They make a simple task of a sometimes daunting task.
These are getting a well deserved 5/5.
Thanks for reading :o) x
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Babyliss Boutique Soft Waves
by Machair1
BABYLISS BOUTIQUE SOFT WAVES.
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For many years now I have been a slave to my hair straighteners preferring a smooth sleek style for my shoulder length hair, which has a tendency to frizz as it is thick and naturally curly. A few months ago my hairdresser asked me if I ... ever left it to dry naturally, which I didn't, but it set me thinking that maybe it would be possible to do so with a bit of help from some hair products. I was really interested in doing this because when I go abroad on beach holidays I swim several times a day, and really can't be doing with constantly straightening my hair each evening before dinner, as it becomes a chore. The final decision to try something else came with the start of what has become my favourite TV show- "Nashville"- in case you aren't aware this is a country music series that is a mix of drama and music, and as a big country music lover it absolutely delights me. I began to notice how much I liked one of the main characters hairstyles- "Rayner James" who has soft waves in her long hair, and so I asked my hairdresser how to achieve this look in a few minutes. To my delight she explained how to do it and actually did it for me, and I was thrilled with the result- the only thing was I needed to invest in the right tool, and this is when I purchased my Babyliss Boutique Soft Waves Styling wand!
Where To Purchase.
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I looked around for the best price and settled on John Lewis as I love their customer service attitude, especially with regard to the return of items that fail to meet expectations. I thought I would be able to return this, if with in a reasonable amount of time it developed a fault, which sadly many hair tools tend to do prematurely. The curling wand was £29.99 and delivery was quick, and as I had some other items I wanted it was free, although John Lewis have increased the threshold for free delivery now to £50 from £30 which is a slight annoyance.
The Contents
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The wand comes in a large box and there are several contents- the wand itself, a heat proof mat, a bag for travelling to contain all the items, and a heat proof glove. There is also an instruction manual which is excellent, and further information regarding the product can be obtained on the website at www.babyliss.co.uk.
The wand itself is designed to have a long barrel, and it does not have that clamp you normally associate with curling wands. Instead you simply wind the hair around the barrel and the result is loose waves with no kinks. As the barrel is ceramic this should ensure a smooth finish with less damage to the hair. You can choose several heat settings depending on your hair type. Mine requires the highest setting as it is thick and rebellious, but finer hair may be happy at lower temperatures. It is really a question of trial and error to find out what suits your hair best. As I have shoulder length hair I would say I have the shortest hair that can use this tool successfully, as it is designed to be of maximum use on long hair as the long barrel facilitates many twists of the hair as it is wide and accommodating. If you hair is less than shoulder length you need to look for a less wide appliance. Indeed I am growing my hair longer now as I am so pleased with the look this gives me, and I can see it will only get better with a few more inches to curl.
Curling Technique
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The website has a superb instructional video which shows you the exact technique required, but in a nutshell the idea is that you decide on the level of waves you require. Smaller sections of hair will produce tighter waves. It is intended that you section the hair, then having combed the individual section you are working on, wind the hair round the barrel starting about two inches from the scalp and hold the hair in place for about 5-8 seconds. Following this you leave the waved section to fully set. I normally dry my hair after washing and conditioning and then apply a heat protecting spray before curling the hair in sections, usually away from my face, although you can also achieve a very pretty look curling towards the face as well which looks very different. After a few minutes you can then separate the curls and spray with hairspray is desired.
At first I found it very difficult indeed, and actually burnt my finger, as I was rather a novice at conquering the technique and managing to do it whilst looking in a mirror. I think this had something to do with the fact that my hair is only just long enough and so it was quite challenging. However with practise I become more competent and now find it only takes a few minutes. The heat protecting glove is a real help in this as you can avoid burning yourself. I have experimented with all sorts of hair products that compliment this look and keep the hair in top condition, and so far I have been having a lot of success with Fructis - they have some excellent new styling treatments in Superdrug that are inexpensive, including a mousse designed to enhance curls and also a lovely spray on mist with Argan Oil which leaves the curls beautifully soft.
I think this look is beautiful for the summer as it looks very natural, and it is possible to just curl the ends leaving the top quite flat which looks very pretty as well if you just want a slight wave in the hair.
The appliance heats up in 30 seconds so is very quick, and the tip is cool so you can hold it if you wish when curling the hair. The cable on the wand is an adequate length and reaches 2.5m which gives a good length to work with - this is especially useful in hotel situations for example when plug sockets may not be optimal in their situation.
Cleaning of the appliance can be done using a damp cloth and a mild detergent if there is a residue on the surface from hair products- obviously this must be done when it is switched off and completely cool.
I feel that the instruction manual is written very much with safety in mind and for this I am complimentary, as devices like this present a serious danger hazard, and I would advise extreme caution when using these near animals or young children -especially the latter who may sustain serious burns if they were to touch the appliance in use.
Any Negatives?
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I think the only negative things to point out are that firstly the bag they provide is not heat resistant at all, so if you are travelling you would have to wait until these were fully cooled before packing. This is a negative in my opinion and I think a heat resistant bag would be a serious improvement to the kit, as the top setting on these is over 210c so it will leave burn marks on anything that is not heat resistant. I also feel that the mat provided is a tad small and could be made longer.
Final Thoughts
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In conclusion I would say this is a very useful tool for anyone wishing to have soft waves in their hair, and providing your hair is well onto your shoulders or longer this will achieve a good result. You have to treat this with the utmost care and set aside time to use this when you are not in a hurry, as it demands patience to master the technique and to avoid burning accidents. Having said that I think this is excellent value for money, and if the negatives I mentioned were rectified this would gain 5* for my rating. As it stands I think the small heat resistant mat together with the non heat resistant bag is very disappointing and so for me this is awarded a 3*. I think most people would prefer to pay slightly more for this product to have the confidence in the accessories provided, which as they stand at the moment are inadequate.
This review will also be posted on Ciao under my user name Violet1278
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Babyliss 2775U Big Hair Hot Air Styler
by sampa99978
I originally asked for this as a christmas present back in 2011, the reason being that I was worried it would end up being another gadget used once and shoved in the back of the cupboard and therefore I didn't want to pay for it myself just in case! In actual fact I get regular use out of the hair styler and I would recommend it to ... anyone with fine hair such as myself.
HOW IT WORKS
The styler is very very straightforward to use, in fact there's only two buttons - one to turn it on and the other to set the direction of the spin. It works by spinning the hairbrush section around (two speeds) while hot air is blasted out through the core. You are advised to use on dry hair and I would agree; it does not replace the hair dryer so don't buy it with that in mind. I have however used it on slightly damp hair and it seems to be fine with that.
WHAT TO DO WITH IT
To use, separate a section of hair at a time, and run the styler through the hair from root to tip. By concentrating at the root you are increasing the volume and stopping your hair from being too flat, and by concentrating at the bottom you can style the hair to flick in or out, depending on which direction you set the spinner to. I would recommend that you test the direction before you start on your own hair to make sure that it's going the right way, or else your hair could get caught.
Another thing I would stress is not to use it on too large a section of hair at a time. The reason for this is that if the hair overhangs the end of the styler, you're guaranteed to get it tangled up. People have asked me about the likeliness of knotting your hair using the styler and it very rarely happens, provided you use it correctly. If it does get caught, simply change the direction of the spinner until it is free.
TIPS AND TRICKS
I was unsure what the best way of using the styler was when I received it, and the instructions weren't very illuminating. There are lots of YouTube videos out there with guidance and tips, which in my view are better than paper instructions anyway. This will give you a lot of confidence using the tool.
In conclusion, I would recommend the styler to those with fine hair who are looking for a simple way to style their hair - it won't do anything more complicated than I've described above, but I certainly use it on a regular basis.
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