$600 hair appliances and other current obsessions

Remember that weekend trip to Las Vegas a couple of months ago? The one where we economized by staying with friends rather than renting an airbnb or getting a hotel? Well, turns out that our lovely and free nights being hosted ending up costing me an unexpected $600+.

How did that happen?

Our gracious hosts made us very comfortable in their spacious home, including letting us use one of their vehicles. There was nothing that they wouldn’t have shared with us which is precisely how I came to spend what is an exorbitant amount of money on a tool to dry, straighten and curl my hair. Because she herself was so taken with it, the wife (M) in the couple we stayed with insisted that I try her Dyson AirWrap.

You should know that generally speaking, I don’t do much with my hair. The last time my 20+ year old blow dryer had been used was Christmas Eve, 2022, when my water pipes froze and needed a quick thaw. My flat iron was at least 15 years old and was called into use primarily on the 4th day after a hair washing to buy myself one more day between lathering. Also, since Covid, the frequency of my cut and colors has diminished to the point that my trims are at a 6 month interval and I’ve completely stopped coloring.

See? I’m low maintenance!

M, whose bathroom is larger than my bedroom, had recently purchased her AirWrap and was still at the beginning of the learning curve in terms of being adept in its use. She encouraged me to try it, in part to determine how adept I might be and if she might gain more any tips from how I used the hair appliance, but also to see if the results I got were consistent with her own.

As a person who has zero blow drying skills (my hair NEVER looks smooth after a session, more flyaway than fly, shall we say?), I found the AirWrap to be a game changer. Using the larger of the barrel attachments and holding it vertically, prompted my hair to wind itself into the most bodacious spiral curls ever. It was magic. Generally speaking, I have zero hair skills but somehow my hair looked better than I had ever managed to make it look before.

Woah.

Recognizing that $600 (+ tax!) was an insane amount of money to spend for a personal appliance that I wasn’t even sure I would use with any frequency, I immediately discarded the idea of buying myself one. Ridiculous.

But, then I began itemizing all of the justifications I could find to encourage myself to buy an AirWrap…

Since Covid I visit the salon maybe 3x a year, rather than the every 8 or so weeks I once scheduled my appointments. When I do go, I only get a cut and style, not color as I once did on a quarterly schedule. I am saving so much money on salon services, I should get that AirWrap.

I work two jobs. If I want to indulge myself, I can.

My hair looked really good. Period.

So, I got one and…

I love it! While I’m sure there remains a learning curve in terms of my adeptness (I haven’t regularly styled my hair with a blow dryer or other appliance in decades), investing ten minutes after my biweekly hair washing leaves my hair smooth and sleek. Depending upon how wet my hair is when I finally pull the Dyson out, I use one, or all, of three attachments; the blowdryer, a brush or a curling barrel. Because of the unique design and its ability to grab hair, it takes only a single hand to style my hair into long spiral curls. I never feel as if my hair is getting overheated and the adjustments that can be made to the temperature and strength and direction of the blowing hair give me a sense of being in control.

And, like I said, my hair looks great.

Two other recent discoveries that are helping me to look my middle aged best –

First Aid Beauty aka FAB moisturizer. I have dry skin and winter can really take a toll on my face resulting in both chapping and redness due to cold temperatures. FAB has a full product line, but I can only attest to having experience with two of their moisturizers, the Ultra Repair Cream and the Ultra Repair Hydra-firm Night Cream – and I’m a fan of both of them. The night cream is exactly what I need during “heated indoors season,” and, confession, I wore it during the day time, too. The lighter Ultra Repair Cream was just right to layer on post bath and use to add a touch of dewiness, particularly when paired with a dab of Miracle Balm.

I find FAB to be reasonably priced, fairly clean and effective. It’s in the rotation. As is, the Mac Eye Brows Big Boost Fibre Gel that I was turned on to in Berlin earlier this month.

I’ve been a devotee of Glossier’s Boy Brow for a quite a few years, but I have to say, the size of the product and the price don’t completely line up for me. I also found the small tubes dried up rather quickly. I was ready for a change and the nice young woman at the Mac store in the mall on a rainy afternoon, (who spoke excellent English), immediately grabbed this product off the shelf.

Unlike Boy Brow, Big Boost is a sizeable tube. The shade of gel selected for me, Flirt, is a tad darker than much of my hair, but I don’t think it’s in a cringy Bette Davis Baby Jane way.

PS. If it is, please drop me an anonymous line and let me know, friend. 😂