Review: Revlon Ultrasonic Conditioning Ceramic Straightener

Several years ago, conditioning flat irons came out and were highly unaffordable. Some people were willing to shell out a couple hundred dollars for a ceramic-plated straightener, and even though they are still on the market, there are many more that have become way more budget-friendly. Even so, your options are usually limited to a flat iron that just straightens. When Revlon contacted me to try out their newest hair care tool, I almost said no, because it wasn’t technically a travel gadget and full-sized. It was the ultrasonic setting that was the clincher. You see, this tool will let you condition and straighten your hair from wet to dry. As you know, I’m not fond of spending much time on my hair or having to struggle with beauty tools, so the fact that I wouldn’t also have to blow dry my hair before straightening it really intrigued me.

With so many people traveling this summer to beach destinations and frequenting the pool, I thought that the Revlon Ultrasonic Straightener would cut down on hair styling time and would eliminate an item from travel bags – because I know that even though hotels usually supply hair dryers, you all still take yours.

The Revlon Triple Action Ultrasonic Conditioning Ceramic Straightener has three settings: Ultrasonic setting that helps deep condition your hair with the help of your favorite leave-in conditioner, a heat setting that straightens your hair as your regular flat-iron would and the dual setting that conditions and straightens at one time.

I decided to test this out right after a shower, when my hair was mostly wet. I towel dried it a little bit before starting. My hair is thick and stubborn, so I figured this would be one of the best situations to test it out in. As you can see, my hair was not dripping, but clearly pretty wet. In normal conditions, it would take hours for my hair to air-dry.  

The wide plates allow you to style more hair at once, cutting down on your time already. It also has a textured surface and is easy to hold, which can be a problem with some hair care tools. The plates heat up to 400°F quickly, so you can plug it in, turn it on, go put some conditioner in your hair and then start styling. The dual setting made a fun humming sound – so you know it’s working! – and dried my hair while also giving my hair a shiny look with a little extra volume. I followed up with another quick pass through on just the heat setting to get some of the waves out. Even when I blow dry my hair I have to give my hair a little extra attention when straightening it, otherwise it still tries to do its own thing. Given that, Revlon’s nifty ultrasonic setting did exactly what it said it would.

Later I tried the straightener on just the heat setting and it gave me super sleek, shiny hair in just one pass-through. If you have longer hair, this is a great way to flat iron it in less time, and if you have dry hair like I do, this will add moisture to it. I feel like those with hair any shorter than mine might have a tough time using it, because it is so wide and it may be difficult to get close enough to the roots. I definitely think if you’re spending a lot of time doing water activities and want to simplify your beauty routine to be able to go from beach to dinner, then this is a definite must for your travel bag. Chlorine and salt water can really take a toll on your tresses, too. Having a tool that can rehydrate and condition is a great way to keep your hair looking its best, instead of trying to do damage control after you notice there’s a problem. It also makes a great gift for the swimmer, traveler or hairdo experimenter.

More information

Where can you buy it: Amazon.com or your local beauty or discount store (like Target)

How much it costs: $24.99-54.99

Other specs: 30-second heat up, fun red color, tangle-free cord, 4.9″ x 12.9″ x 2.5″

Find out more about Revlon hair appliances by visiting them on their website. You can also find them on Twitter | Facebook

Disclosure: I was provided with the Revlon Ultrasonic Straightener for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Travel Deals for You! 7.7.12

Don't forget to read my review and enter to win the crazy stylish and useful Travelon Anti-Theft React Weekender Bag. You're going to love it!

I haven't posted deals on the blog in quite a while and while I'm off thinking up some new fun topics for you, I've decided to leave you with a few of these gems, in case you haven't yet made plans for your summer vacations. It's HALF over, you know! I found some great discounts for you though, so you're welcome last-second planners among you.

 

Save up to 65% off Summer flights at CheapOair, including those to London in time for the Olympics. While these prices aren't LOW, they are some of the best you will find right now.

Book yourself a romantic little getaway at a Bed & Breakfast for less than you thought. Great deals are listed all the time on BedandBreakfast.com for destinations worldwide. Many are conveniently located, so they are near things you want to do, but not so near that they aren't still cozy and quiet. Right now you can save another $30 off a booking for 2 or more nights.

Everyone's been talking about trips to Las Vegas, so these deals on packages to Sin City from Expedia may be just what you've been looking for. You can travel the globe all in one city: Paris, New York, Italy, Rome! What more could you ask for? You know, besides low prices. If you've got two days and haven't had a chance to read my last post on budget Las Vegas, make sure to check it out.

You know you want to experience the newly expanded Disneyland park. Califoria Adventure has two new theme lands: Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. Book a vacation through JetBlue Getaways for 3 or more nights and get $100 off - make sure to use code DISNEYLAND100 and book by July 15 to get this deal.

Undercover Tourist loves Disney World! They want you to love it, too, with some excellent offers on park tickets and shows like these: Buy 4 Days, Get 1 Day FREE to Walt Disney World. Plus, FREE Shipping, Save $25 on adult admission to our most popular Orlando dinner show, and only $79/day for adult admission to all four Walt Disney World Parks. You can also get the free Disney iPhone app that has ride wait times and park maps. 

Need some stuff to pack for your summer vacay? Through Tuesday, Ebates is offering double cash back at a dozen of YOUR favorite stores. They asked, you answered and now you can save even more off your multi-purpose makeup items, summer clothing and things to do from a slew of other merchants.

Hopefully, these ideas help you with your travel plans or give you inspiration for a future trip - maybe in the Fall! Next, you'll all be wanting more packing advice, too! This week you may get it, along with a review of a fancy hair appliance from Revlon and a guest post on traveling to Greece on a budget.

Super Useful (Fitness) Travel Links 7.6.12

So, planning my own trip for the fall to Sunny California and realizing that I’ll be walking about 42 miles per day at the various theme parks and more I’ll be visiting, I have realized that even though I have stayed in places that have had on-site exercise facilities and I’ve gone to check them out and even take pictures, I’ve not once actually gone to use the equipment provided. I’ll admit it. I’m a total exercise hater. I will walk if I have a destination or do Pilates or go to the gym if I have a partner that makes me do it/go with them, but I hate to exercise on my own and set aside time for it. I’ve been working on how to psyche myself up to start working out again, because once I get into a routine, I am loathe to quit it, and figure I can’t be the only one with this problem.

Even worse is when I’m on vacation. If I’m not on the move to get to one monument or tourist site or another, I’m probably at a restaurant, kicking back and eating something fried. I’m going to attempt to change that with this next trip and eat better food and try to eat less of it, even though I am constantly hungry while I’m traveling. I also would love to bring along some sort of device to keep me on track with my eating and exercise. You know, so I’ll feel guilty when I don’t exercise. I mean, it’s probably not going to get use on park days, where I really probably walk 93,847,393 steps in a day, but on those off days, where I’m just hanging around the timeshare doing laundry and still refusing to go to the actual workout room.



Photo Credit

If you are like me and have a hard time concentrating on fitness at home and on the road, maybe we should download one of these two apps:

MyFitnessPal – Available for any phone that lets you add an app. Through an easy to use interface, you can track all the calories you eat in a day. Choose foods from a comprehensive list at each meal you eat (which is even easier if you are out to eat, because you’ve got time to do this in between ordering and receiving your plate of food or while you are waiting for the check. If you eat/drink the same things a lot, those items are saved for easy checkability and you can quickly see where you are throughout the day with your calories, carbs, fat and protein. You can even search for foods (like what is on a menu at your favorite restaurant) and drop it into your food diary.

Want to log your exercise, too? MyFitnessPal has a big long list of exercise routines to choose from and you can put in how much you weigh and how long you did it to figure out how many calories you burned. Just try not to cheat, because you’re only lying to yourself.

InBloom – Only downloadable on iTunes for now, the InBloom app helps you find good food choices when you are out. Right now they cover New York, LA, San Francisco and Chicago, but are expanding by leaps and bounds as folks clamor for new locations. The app features listings for restaurants, famers markets, stores, grocers, hotels and even more of green businesses that use renewable energy. You can also search by dietary preference/restrictions, like vegan, vegetarian, raw and gluten-free. It’s the perfect way to eat well and shop and dine at places with your same values.

Invention on Quirky

While not on the market yet, I love this idea for a fancy new jump rope. It is equipped with Bluetooth that connects to your iPhone, iPod or iPad and keeps track of your jumping. It also shows you how many calories you’ve burned – which is a big problem with just jumping willy-nilly – monitors your heartbeat and would be really easy to pack. Of course, this wouldn’t be just a good travel item, as it would make sense to work it into your exercise routine at home (or use solely as) and then keep up with your jumping and progress while on vacation. Jumping rope is an awesome workout, easy and you can pretty much find a place to do it anywhere – preferably outside.

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 Off the fitness track for a minute, although sightseeing could still be considered a workout, and lighten your load by leaving the heavy guidebooks at home and downloading some audiobooks or travel guides. USA Today rounds up the best places to find audiobooks at affordable prices. Sometimes, it’s hard to read a book while working out or laying on the beach – all those bright sun rays – so an audiobook is an awesome option. I also love them on road trips as an alternative to music.

Hopefully, you found some use in my inability to talk myself off the couch and these great reasons to make a workout happen, to help you keep your bikini bod and feel stronger and healthier. I’m going to try it. Starting next week, I’m going to make myself exercise for at least 20-30 minutes a day and I’ll check in with you periodically to let you know if I’ve been successful or lazy. Heck, I have a Hoopnotica hoop that even makes it not boring! You can check in with me, too, or make one of your real-life friends responsible for giving you the disappointed face. Good luck!