I'm going to preface this "review" with a disclaimer: I've had this product for months and months. I was originally contacted by Misikko many moons ago to review one of their flat irons. Well, I never have straight hair so I opted out. I was able to choose a curling wand and give it a go, but upon it arriving to my house I started to notice how saturated the "blogsophere" was with Misikko reviews. Normally I google every pitch I get to make sure I'm not one of a hundred bloggers writing about the same thing. I kindly responded to my contact that I'd keep hold of it to review later in the year, once the saturation had died down a little. I've seen reviews for flat irons and blow dryers, but hopefully there aren't umpteen billion wand reviews! If there are or you aren't interested, feel free to skip over! ;) (Also -- I know absolutely nothing about hair styling or anything.. Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I manage to do my own hair without too much catastrophe but whatever!)
As the months past I didn't give the wand much thought. Remember my basketball head incident? Yeah, it took me a few months to get my hair color under control. The last thing it needed was a heating tool touching it. Finally I made progress with my hair and decided to give the wand a try. Holy cow. Y'all, I was so ready to be disappointed. I guess I tend to be kind of a cynic toward expensive things. I think I don't need them or I could do it myself. I've always used a cheapo little $10 curling iron from Target. I don't need to be wowed and dazzled by some name brand. Or do I?... I still feel the same, but I can say that I am very pleased with the results of my Corioliss 18mm curling wand. I was so confused on how to use it, but after a few Googles, I had it down. Granted I managed to give myself some pretty gnarly burns (that thing is hot!), but I did it to myself considering I decided to forgo the accompanying glove.
Let's talk about the product specifics and I'll give you my opinion on the overall item...
This is my hair using a traditional clamp curling iron (with straightener and entirely too much hairspray):
This is my hair using the Corioliss curling wand (and absolutely no hairspray!):
The packaging is a huge deal to me. It can make or break my loyalty toward a brand. The wand itself was very neatly packaged in this well designed box. It felt like you were getting something more high end as opposed to ripping open that awfully sharp clear plastic! It was packed up with various ELF cosmetics and maybe even a sleeping mask. This was a nice addition, except I felt like it didn't really fit the Misikko brand. While Misikko items are far from the most expensive on the market, they're still much more high end than what you'd pick up on an impromptu run to the drugstore. I love ELF products and use a lot of it myself, but a $1 eyeshadow packed in with a $130 curling iron seemed a bit off putting. But maybe that's just me! I didn't really find any use for any of the extra gifts, but we're really talking about the wand here anyway!
I absolutely loved the results of my hair from using the wand. My curls were soft, bouncy, and less of a tight spiral. They had more body to them and they just felt nicer. I love that the wand got hot enough to curl my hair without the aid of hair spray or another heating tool. Overall, the wand was very very quick and efficient.
The wand comes with a glove to help protect your non-dominant hand. Use it! So many people say you're fine without it but I have the most epic burns on my hand from this thing. It's hot! There are no heat settings. It's simply on and off. It's a nice simplistic design which I can get behind, but be warned! I also really appreciate the fact the wand was designed so that it can rest on itself, with the head stick suspended in air. That way you don't worry about burning whatever you have sitting near it, but you don't have to worry about those pesky stands that get tangled in your curls.
I won't lie and say I think this is a miracle product. My experience with other wands is non-existant so I won't simply say "Go spend $100 on THIS very product!". I'm still not sure I could stomach the thought of spending $100 on a curling iron when I'd much rather spend it on a roadtrip (or shoes!). I will say that I've been converted. I'm throwing out my clamp curling iron and giving in to the ways of the wand. I've looked up reviews on various other wands at different price points and many say the ones available at Target are great, too. If you're looking to have some fun bouncy curls, give the drugstore one a go! If you still feel like you need more oomph, check out the Corioliss line! If my Corioliss ever craps out on me, I'll probably try a less expensive version before buying a new one, but I am very happy with these results! I even had people at work say they loved my "new hair color" (which wasn't new at all... and hadn't been dyed in 3 weeks!). The lack of product in my hair gave it new life. It just looked more effortless, yet put together. Anyway, this product has my vote, but don't be afraid to explore other options!
Do any of you use a curling wand? Specific brand that you just can't live without? Tell me all of your hair tool secrets! I'm still kind of a n00b!
