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A curler for lazybones like (you and) me – plus you can win stuff!

8.8.2018

Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson

My first encounter with an automatic curling wand ended in scissors, tears, anger and frustration. Today, two years later, I’m ready for a new gadget and a new try.

Tragedy struck at a media event a few years ago. The latest automatic curl wand by «BaByliss» was being demonstrated. Naïve as I was, I agreed to a (sales) pro giving me a demonstration. It turned out to be a close encounter. A little too close. I sat down on a stool and let the lady work away. Her aim was to give me beautifully curly hair.

«Is it possible that a strand of hair gets caught?», I asked her. She shook her head laughingly and asked me to trust her. She assured me that this had never happened before. Righty-o.

So she started to feed the gadget one strand at a time – generating curl by curl. That worked fine for a while until it stopped working fine. The next thing I remember is her shocked expression reflecting in the mirror and an ominous «uh-oh». There was nothing left to do other than snip off the destroyed strand. I cried a few tears on the inside and found solace in the fact that I have enough hair to cover the mishap. Nonetheless, I felt like putting a curse on that lady and swore to never ever let an auto curler near my head again.

And here’s me now: Auto curler in hand and the following message on my lips: They exist. Automatic curling wands that actually work.

This thing rocks your locks

Now that you know this story, I’m sure you can imagine how suspicious I was of the Philips curler. I was leaving nothing to chance and thoroughly studied countless reviews, tutorials as well as the «StyleCare Prestige Auto Curler» manual before using it for the first time. No way I was going to make a mistake again.

Curling irons

CHF83.90

Philips StyleCare Prestige Auto Curler

The features at a glance

3 styling temperature levels (70°, 190°, 210°), 3 timer settings (8 sec, 10 sec, 12 sec) and 3 curling directions (right, left, alternate) with a total of 27 combinations or styling options
Coating: keratin ceramic
Heat-up time is 30 seconds and is reached when the little light above the on/off button stops blinking
The countdown / timer tells you when you can «free» the strand of hair
Auto shut-off after 60 minutes to avoid accidents

The curler includes a small cleaning tool and a hair-sectioning accessory, which helps you get the right amount of hair for the curler.

Easy peasy, curly wurly

The curler is self-explanatory and intuitive regarding the settings. I press the button five times and place the first strand into the lion’s den. Putting the lock in properly is a bit tricky. The open side of the curler should face away from your face, the closed side towards it. I section off a bit of hair and use the hair sectioner to make sure I haven’t taken too much. All good. I must admit, my lack of spatial awareness means it takes a few goes until I manage to place a strand of hair properly on one side of the curler. Off we go! I keep the curler button pressed until the strand has been fully rolled up. I wait for the countdown to start. Three long «beeep, beeeep, beeeeps» are followed by three short «beep, beep, beeps». In other words: My strand of hair is free to roam!

I only used the plastic hair separator for a few strands. You soon get the feel for how much hair the curler can handle at a time.

Rule of thumb: The hotter the curler and the longer the timer duration, the more defined the curls.

The mini tutorial below will give you an idea of what it looks like in action. The festival-inspired video is from my Insta account – that’s why it’s cropped into a square. And what’s up with the rhinestones, I hear you say? Keep reading to find out.

Time for a conclusion

At first glance, this device looks pretty complicated. Not the part with the buttons but the head and the curling iron. It was difficult to imagine what should go where. But a quick flick through the manual and after just two or three strands, I got it. Meanwhile, I’ve used it several times and nothing has gone wrong so far (phew!). It literally didn’t harm a hair on my head.

This raises the question of where the curler is better than your average wand. Personally, I think it’s the following key elements:

Thanks to the timer and hair-sectioning accessory, you can be sure that all your curls are the same size and equally curly.
It doesn’t matter how long your hair is. Classic wands are hard to use when you have long hair like I do as you can’t fit a full strand around the curling iron. This curler manages a full strand with no problem.
Your arms won’t grow tired because of that long and heavy wand you’re holding above your head. Instead, this one is comfortable to use.

There’s not much to worry about as the curler does most of the work for you. The only drawback for me: There’s no way of curling more hair than fits through the hair sectioner. That can be a bit limiting.

And now you can win glitter! Random!!!

Well, maybe it’s not that random. Philips is currently working closely with The Gypsy Shrine. The brand stands for shiny, festival-fit «Face Jewels». In the mini tutorial above, I stuck some to my face. In any case, this is your chance to win one of ten «Iridescent Glitz All in One Face Jewels» – just for fun! The competition closes 15.8.18.

Bling bling for your face

Fancy winning 1 of 10 Face Jewels by The Gypsy Shrine? Click the black «Participate» button and you're in for a chance to win!

The competition has ended.

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Natalie Hemengül

Senior Editor

Natalie.Hemenguel@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a massive Disney fan, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses. I worship series from the 90s and consider mermaids a religion. When I’m not dancing in glitter rain, I’m either hanging out at pyjama parties or sitting at my make-up table. P.S. I love you, bacon, garlic and onions.

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