Pearls?! In MY Curling Wand?
If you’re shopping Remington products, it is more likely than you think!
I have a cheap, low-end tapered curling wand (unlike a traditional curling iron, no clip) that is on the way out. It was only OK at best, and I did not have plans to repurchase. Thanks to YouTube Beauty Vlogger Jaclyn Hill, I am very much so intrigued by the siren song that is the NuMe Titan 3; however, even with a good promo code it is still more than I’m looking to spend at the moment.
I realized that I really have no idea what the latest and greatest things are when it comes to styling tools, so I decided to do some homework and some e-window-shopping when I came across this Remington Pearl Curling Wand on Amazon. It is also a tapered wand and comes in two sizes – 0.5″-1″ and 1″-1.5″. Its full name is a bit of a mouthful, take a deep breath:
Remington T-Studio Salon Collection Pearl Digital Ceramic Curling Wand.
Pearl is my birthstone. I’m quite enamored of them, in fact, so long as they’re tasteful. I cannot imagine any way that combining pearls with a 410 degree (Fahrenheit) hairstyling appliance would be practical or tasteful. “Maybe they mean the color of the wand,” I thought. It is a pearlescent pink, after all–but usually when things have silly names, they have silly claims. Remington says this product:
Combines advanced technology and high-performance ceramic coatings with real crushed pearl to create a curling wand that delivers professional, salon-quality results. It quickly reaches a temperature of 410 degrees and has a high-tech, 1.5-inch barrel with ceramic coating to help you effortlessly achieve super sleek, high definition curls–without snagging or catching. Remington’s luxurious Pearl collection harnesses the precious power of pearl and Advanced Ceramic technology to create hair you can’t help but touch.
It also says:
Gorgeous salon-created curls are a breeze with the new T Studio Pearl Ceramic Professional Styling Wand. Featuring a high-tech ceramic wand infused with real pearl, this patent-pending technology provides the most advanced ceramic surface for the smoothest glide on the market. Your hair is left smooth and silky with a luminous luster.
What advanced technology? Tell us more! Nanomachines that manually hold your tresses in luscious curls? Until I have a hair appliance with Android OS or some science fiction in my hair, I don’t want to hear about your non-existent advanced technology.
A few times, it mentions high-performance ceramic coatings. This is not a solid ceramic iron. Many irons are manufactured this way including some high-end models. It is most likely a cheap metal alloy with a few very thin layers of ceramic plating. Ceramic more evenly distributes heat – a thinner, lower quality coating is not going to allow you to reap the benefits as thoroughly. The metal center makes them more (physically) durable, but the ceramic coating has a tendency to wear, chip, or peel over time. None of this makes this a bad product – but it certainly isn’t high-tech or high-performance.
My favorite part – it is infused with real pearl. You infuse teas, tinctures, and meats. Not hair appliances. A coworker of mine recently pointed out that when companies feel the need to stress that a product contains real something – cheese, chocolate, or in this case pearl – they’re being ridiculous. It is pearl or it isn’t. It is one thing to specify that a product has an imitation or artificial component, but they could definitely just say that it is, “infused with pearl.” This is marketing claptrap. “Infused,” sounds fancy and sophisticated. It is not. If the coating does have any pearl content, they took some reject cultured pearls, crushed them, and blended them with the ceramic. This isn’t magic. This is marketing.
I have not purchased or tried this iron for science to determine whether or not the pearl stuff makes any difference in how shiny your hair is or how easy the appliance is to use (regarding glide), but my money is on the fact that it doesn’t. That said, both sizes have overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon (4.5 out of 5 stars with over 1,200 reviews!) and has a very wallet-friendly price-tag of only $25. Skimming the reviews, only 4.8% of them were negative and most of them were to the tune of, “It doesn’t even have a clamp!” (aka people who had no idea what they were purchasing), “It is hard to use (because it does not have a clamp)” (Fair enough, there IS a learning curve), and the odd infrequent electrical short. Based on the abundance of good reviews, I would say it is worth trying – buy if you’re on a budget or if you are new to the world of wands.
Have you tried this wand? Leave a comment!