.:: CybeleSays ::.

Quick! What’s going on with your flat iron? Is it old and dated? How about treating yourself to a new one from a great brand? GHD just came out with Style & Finish Kit, which is their best selling Gold Series 1” Styler and Natural Bristle Oval Brush.

And while you may think a flat iron is a flat iron is a flat iron, oh no, it is not! Like my favorite one here, this 1” Gold Professional Styler contains the latest in technology of keeping hair healthy while giving you the sleekest locks on the block. It is made with ceramic and has contoured plates, which you don’t always see (my beloved Croc doesn't have that).

And speaking of my Croc, this one measured up really well against it in terms of performance. In addition to one or two passes through the hair for stick straight strands, it heated up quickly and it's pretty lightweight, so it's easy to weild.

Now run to your bathroom to assess the status of your flat iron and then get yourself this one. Yes, it's a little on the expensive side but this is an investment piece so think of it that way. $225 only @ sephora.com.

It’s been quite a long time since I’ve come across a product deserving to be added to my Hall of Fame, which is my all time favorite products. But I found one!

The SPORNETTE Porcupine Hair Brush Boar and Nylon Bristle Rounder Wooden Handle 3” has been the answer to all my styling prayers. I’ve used this one on and off since I got it and I find myself going back to it when I want really straight shiny hair for the day/night. The wood handle is really solid and  helps me style with ease; not to mention the handle is one piece, so no worrying about a hair getting caught in part of the brush. Ouch!

See more about it here, which includes the awesomely affordable price.

And to celebrate the addition, Spornette has kindly given me 5 to give away to my readers, so enter below and good luck!

How much do we all love a twist on an existing product? Take GOODY’s QUIKSTYLE Paddle Brush for example. It looks like your average paddle brush but upon closer inspection, you see blue pieces alongside the bristles. These are pieces of microfiber interwoven in with the bristles that act like a towel to absorb water with every stroke, and claim to remove up to 30% of water from the hair. $11.99 to $12.99.

The other product they put out alongside this one is the QUIKSTYLE Water Wicking Detangling Comb. This one also wicks away excess water, up to 20% more, but it has two rows of teeth to really help detangle and well, wick! $5.29.

If I had to pick one of these, I’d probably pick the comb as to me, 30% of water removal is not that much but the detangling the brush did took less time and the teeth are nice and big so you won’t be tugging at tangles for too long, which is safer for the life of your strands.

Both available @ drugstores nationwide.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

I’m a little too fascinated by all things big hair these days; maybe it’s the watching of too much Jerseylicious, Jersey Shore and the Millionaire Matchmaker. Big hair, teased crown, I want it all and I’m living vicariously through these TV shows. In my own hands, I’ve got these two shown here that are helping me get the look but what I really need is, and I’ve stated this on twitter, Tracy DiMarco to come and do my hair.

CRICKET & CO. Amped UP Teasing Brush ($4.39 @ cricketco.com) – this one mixes up boars bristles and nylon and are multi-leveled - longer in the middle and shorter around the outside. Great for the novice like me. Availabel in Blue, Pink and Purple.

SPORNETTE Big Wonder Brush Boar and Tourmaline #131 ($7.50 spornette.com) – if you are a pro with the tease, this one is a good step up as it gives you more surface area.

Sadly, I think my T3 hairdryer is about to bite the dust so I’ve been thinking about what to do when that happens. It’s been on my mind majorly lately as a dryer is a very personal thing and I think I got pretty lucky when I tried this limited edition purple Centrix 5000 blow dryer from CRICKET CO. I’s pretty lightweight, easy to handle and boasts 25% more air flow than the leading dryers as in the dryer’s air current can reach up to 50 miles per hour! Wow. Yes, the air coming out is pretty strong but not too strong where it makes it difficult to handle.

A few things I think can use improvement - the air coming out takes a while to heat up even when the setting is on max hot. At first I thought it just didn’t get as hot as a T3 as I’ve heard the T3’s almost get too hot but the air did get hotter the longer I used it in a drying/styling session.

I also think the buttons on the front of the handle could have been placed in a different location on the unit as my palm seems to hit those buttons and move the settings quite a few times when maneuvering the unit around. Maybe I just need to get used to it more?

Consider this an investment at $129.99 @ folica.com but remember that a good quality dryer will last you years to come.

And a portion of sales from this dryer will go to support the recovery of domestic abuse victims.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

There’s nothing more fun than trying out a new hair tool. It is from the CONAIR line and is their Infiniti Pro Spin Air Brush and this one gets better with each use. It’s kind of like this one but this may be the next version of it? Not quite sure yet.

What It Is - This multidirectional brush rotates in both directions to volumize and shine. The true ionic generator releases up to 100x more concentrated ions from natural sources to protect hair from damage and seal in moisture for silky, smooth results and gorgeous shine. With even, gentle ceramic heat to safely dry hair with more protection and less damaging hot spots.

My Take – I have to admit, I was ready to write this one off after 2 uses but I kept coming back to it to use it more day after day. As I mentioned above, there is a learning curve and this one gets easier to use as you use it and get used to how it works.

Pros – cuts down on styling time since you are drying and styling at once. Makes strands blowout bouncy and shiny.

Cons – hard learning curve as hair can get tangled if you don’t know what you’re doing. No place to put your hand not(it) holding the handle. Would give better leverage if there was some kind of bar to rest it on. No way to get close to the roots.

Choose from 4 colors – Black, Plum, Teal and Red for $68.99 @ conair.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

Since it’s full-on summertime, I’ve been a little obsessed with all things beachy-waves and decided to put two tools to the test. In this corner, well, on the left in the picture, we have GOLD N HOT Jumbo Ceramic Triple Barrel Waver and on the right side is NUME 19mm Curling Wand in Pink.

My college-friend Jen lives out here in LA and has really nice long blonde hair and for some reason, I love to style it for her. I wanted to see which one would create the most beachiest of beachy waves.  

Click here to read more

It’s funny how the saying goes, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Take the classic hair roller for example. It’s still the best way to achieve natural fullness and volume in the hair and the arm of technology has not totally changed it too much. I’ve been using these Rollers from the BOMBSHELL brand over the past few weeks and they are not your normal Velcro rollers, which I’m a fan of. These feature  an integrated thermal barrel so the heat stays inside each roller longer thus helps you get max fullness or volume.$9.99 to $13.99/1.5inch to 3 inch @ ts2products.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

Sometimes a hair tool comes along that is so serious and so solid, I thank the beauty product Gods that I do what I do here on Cybelesays.com! This SPORNETTE (take a deep breathe for the name …) Porcupine Hair Brush Boar and Nylon Bristle Rounder Wooden Handle 3” is such a serious styler that I’ve only been using it for when I’m really going to put some time into styling my hair.

So with regard to the name, does it really have porcupine quills in it or is that just in the name? The description on their site doesn’t make mention of any real quills used, only boar and nylon bristles, so I’m guessing not. And because it has both styles of bristles, this is a good brush for styling damp hair or dry.

Out of all five styles, I find this 3” one the most useful – the handle is not too thin or too thick and hard to handle. $10.99 @ spornette.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

This brush from SPORNETTE has a big title to live up to you. It’s called The Feel Good Brush and ooo does it over! Who doesn’t love a good scalp massage and this one is perfect for that, as well as detangling strands. The bristles are made of soft and flexible nylon bristles and they recommend using it before and after the shower. So open up and say ahhhh… $9 @ amazon.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.