Dyson Supersonic: Luxury Meets Performance

Dyson Supersonic
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, $399 new / $275ish refurb

This post’s title should be Beauty Skeptic or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dyson Supersonic.

At the end of 2018, I shared that I had purchased a refurbished Dyson Supersonic hairdryer. This is now the single most expensive beauty tool I own. In the time between the time I placed the order and delivery I vacillated between whether or not I was losing my damn mind.

Answer: Maybe?

If you’ve been reading for a long time, you’ll know that when I like to use pricier tools for a long while while before writing about it. This enables me to evaluate its performance long term and make a confident recommendation. We’ve all gotten a product (beauty or otherwise) that was great at first and then maybe not so much as time passes. Frankly, I find the gushing, “I’ve used it for 3 days and it is TOTES WORTH IT,” reviews grating beyond belief.

The dryer arrived on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, I have no alluring unboxing photos; since it is a refurb, it doesn’t come in fabulous retail packaging that’s worth showing you. It came in a very utilitarian, nondescript, white cardboard box with white inner packaging that was effective but not luxurious. As much as I can appreciate nice packaging and presentation, I also appreciate not paying a huge premium for it.

First Impressions

  • “Wow this thing’s weight is distributed sooo nicely.”
  • “Diffuser? Ugh, space consumption.” (Great for the curly girls, though).
  • “Concentrators – omg, there are two of them? NEAT.”
  • “Omg the magnetic bit for the tools is amazing. This is so nice, so much better than something that snaps on that can wear with time and become less secure.”
  • “OH! It sounds so smooth. And – this thing is powerful.”

Review

Time-to-Dry

My hair, which is long (and longer than usual at the moment thanks to CoVid-19), goes from, “I got out of the shower five minutes ago,” to dry in less than ten minutes. This varies depending on what products I’m using and how diligent I’m being about sectioning – but it is great. Thanks to a girlfriend, I started wearing wireless earbuds when I blowdry (genius), and I usually go through about two songs. That’s like 6-8 minutes.

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Chatter: January 2019 Favorites

Chatter

I cringed as I typed the title of this post. Seriously. And then I had to stop and think – hell, what were my favorites last month? I had to chew on it. And then, life prevailed and I had a hard time coming up with things, I put it on the back-burner, and here we are at nearly the end of February with no, “traditional,” favorites post.

Sigh.

So instead of the usual spread, here’s a brief, bulleted list:

  • Vaseline. I am not a seasonal pedicurist. Vaseline is inexpensive and unscented; slapping it on under socks immediately after showers and again before bed has kept my feet in great shape in between pedicures. Plus, it has other uses – makeup removal if you’re into that (I’m not), lip balm, addressing extremely disobedient dry patches, etc. (Target)
  • Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. At one point, I tried to switch to Biosilk. But after a calamity, I reverted to Super Skinny. It smells better, feels better on my hair and my hands. (Target, Ulta)
  • Dyson Supersonic. I mentioned buying one of these around the holidays. And, wow – yeah, it’s good. Review coming … well, when I come up for air. (Sephora, Nordstrom, Ulta)
  • Bliss What a Melon De-Stressing Overnight Mask. I don’t do a ton of masks, but picked this up in a recent haul. It applies easily, does not feel gross, and dries down quickly enough not to cover your pillowcase in goo. At $13, it’s inexpensive, too. (Target or Ulta).

Help Me, I Bought a Supersonic

Dyson Supersonic

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, $399

It’s almost Christmas. 2018 is almost over. After Thanksgiving and Black Friday, Dyson was running some specials on refurb appliances via their eBay outlet – including their absurdly expensive dryer, the Dyson Supersonic. It was down around what I expressed in March 2017 as being willing to throw at it.

Hmm, interesting.

My poor current dryer, which I reinvigorated earlier this year, is showing different signs of failure. We’ve had a good run, but it seems likely that I will need to replace it before long. The timing can’t be argued-with.

I wrestled with it for a while because even with the heavy discounts it is damn rich for my blood. After a couple weeks, I decided to lose my mind give it a shot. With a sale plus a promo code, I got it the badass Iron/Red combination for $214. Plus, you know, eBates.


The dryer has yet to arrive but should before the holiday. Since it is a refurb, I do not expect it to come in its fabulous retail packaging – but it will come with both concentrators, the diffuser (which I don’t need), the mat, and the hanger.

Admittedly, I am vacillating between, “What have I done?” and, “CAN IT GET HERE ALREADY?! I WANT TO TRY IT.”

I plan to put the dryer to work immediately and will report back with first impressions. Hopefully it suddenly makes me really good at hair.

It Costs How Much? The Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer

Dyson SupersonicDyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, $399

I believe in investing in quality products that will last. Not just trivial beauty products, but anything; if I buy a coat, I don’t want to have to replace it in at least five years. My time is worth a lot to me; I don’t relish having to spend my time to replace things when I could spend a bit more and have it last. Then, net-of-the-net is that I’ve spent less time AND money on that particular purchase.

In short, I’m comfortable with higher up-front investments (within reason, of course – price does not equal quality). Some believe the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is just that.

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