Review: Cloud 9 straigteners

As the post states, I'm going to be reviewing the Cloud 9 straighteners. I'm going to set this into a series of posts. This initial post will be my review on the design, concept & the results. The following posts will consist of style results from these beauties. I'll be trying out looks from their website & posting the end look to show you the versatility of the product. So, onto the review.


What Cloud Nine say:

'The Cloud Nine Iron is our original and most popular straightener. These are the irons that have got the beauty industry buzzing, and rightly so. Suitable for all hair types, they use state-of-the-art temperature control technology, allowing you to create lots of exciting looks, without having to use searing heat. Whether you want to smooth, flick, curl or straighten your hair, you can - at a lower temperature than you ever thought possible. And the added beauty of less heat? Less damage to your hair. This is a straightener that’s packed with incredible features. From the simple-to-follow temperature gauge, to the hibernation mode and swivel cord, it has everything you need to make the most of your style. What's more, its unique black plates provide added shine every time you use them.'



Packaging

[ I did have a photograph of the front/top of the outer sleeve, but stupidly deleted it off my camera without saving onto my macbook. *hand-forehead* But you still get the overall feel with this photo of the back, the only difference is that the front/sides only carry the name/logo. ]

The packaging is very sleek & minimalistic. The box is very sturdy & the design seems to have been thought about as it's not like the standard packaging you come across with many tools - it shouts out expensive. I'm a box hoarder & a design lover so I like this. One thing that annoys me about the packaging though, is the fiddliness of fitting your straighteners back in. When putting the wire back under the panel the straighteners lie on, it's a bit of a faff on to get it right so the panel lies in place. Not a huge problem, but I'm one of those sad people that like to keep my products in the box, especially when the box is as stylish as this one!



Inside of the box

Inside the box you find the gorgeous straighteners with a heat guard & a carry pouch underneath.


The Cloud Nines come with:

• Temperature control panel
• Black ceramic plates
• Swivel cord
• Heat guard
• Hibernation mode
• RFID Chip
• Dual adaptor
• Universal voltage
• 2 years warranty

On first looks the Cloud Nines look like many other straighteners on the market, a little sleeker than most, but still a familiar shape. Looking closer to the design (in comparison with GHDs) I find that the Cloud Nines are ever so slightly thinner & the swivel cord doesn't just swivel round but also to the side. It's hard to explain, but I assume it's on a rotating ball, so movement is even easier than the standard swivel cord.

The Heat guard is such a simple but great idea. Not only will it help you avoid burn marks on the carpet (come on everyone's burnt something with their straighteners at some point!) but it'll also save the wiring as you don't need to tightly wrap it round the barrel to keep it closed. Once you've finished using the styler you can pop it straight into the heat guard, no waiting needed.


Heat control







The main feature of the Cloud Nine stylers is the heat control. In the past I've had heat control straighteners but nothing really happened on the lower temperatures & I'd always wack it up to the maximum. With these however, I haven't even tried them on the highest heat. This coming from someone with very thick hair, not only is it thick in amount but each strand is thick & slightly coarse. So to say I can get amazing results just from 150 °C is incredible as sometimes my GHD's don't even give me the finish these baby's do on almost double the heat.

Navigation is simple, as you can see the controls are on the inner side & again are very sleek & fit well into the design. To change the temperature you simply tap on the Hi or Lo button & the LED will change to the temperature you've set it to. If you, like me, sometimes forget to switch off your straighteners don't worry, these beauties will sense when they have been on for 30 minutes but not used & will cool down to box temperature. So this means no worrying when you finally remember half way through the day that you've left them on!




Want to know how they perform...?

Amazing.

No kidding. These are fantastic. I can't shut up about them. I actually brought them to a friends, (one of these friends being a hairdresser) & despite probably thinking 'hmmm, what are these? They aren't GHD' she was massively impressed & loved how they worked. Everyone who's sneaked a cheeky play have loved the glide of the iron & finish. Like I said before, I've not used these on the top heat yet, which is something that has surprised me especially with my type of hair. The maximum heat I've tried is 175 °C but I usually just stick to 150 °C & my hair ends up better looking than it ever does with my GHD irons. It's shiny (rare for a highlighted blonde, dry hair type) smooth & so so soft. Whilst living between my parents home & my university house I'd left the Cloud Nines at home & was actually disappointed that I'd have to use my GHDs.

Hopefully by now you should know I give my gods honest opinion on things, so trust me when I say if you're needing new straighteners please consider buying these instead of going for the usual GHD safe option. I'm a self confessed apprehensive buyer & would probably have chose GHD over Cloud Nine if I had not known how amazing they are, as it seems like a safe option. You know they work, you know they're good, but believe me, they're not as good as these (come on, Hooker & Young use them, they've got to be good!). I feel so much better using Cloud Nine irons on my hair as I know the damage to my hair is a lot less & this is something I'm being very careful about these days after going for the big chop earlier on in the year.

One other unique thing that I love about these stylers is the RFID chip (say what?). This chip means your straighteners can be identified with it's own unique number. Meaning that the iron can be tracked & monitored through it's lovely life to ensure it's a genuine product only sold by authorised stockists. How cool is that? I bet you've heard of one or more people buying popular brand irons that end up being fake.

Want to find out more on things I've mentioned or just curious about these gifts from God? Here's the website - Cloud Nine

Look out for my style posts using the Cloud Nines.

Pssst... if you buy a styler now you get a free St. Tropez Perfect Legs tan - who doesn't love a good set of bronzed pins in the summer?



These were sent to me for reviewing purposes, but in no way am I giving false opinions. I give you my brownie promise, my review is true to my own thoughts.