Lazy Girl Approved highlights long-lasting, goof-proof, fuss-free products that can fit into the most minimalist of regimens. If you consider yourself a low-maintenance beauty lover, these product reviews are for you!
As a bona fide Lazy Girl when it comes to hair and beauty, my T3 straightening and curling irons rarely trip the light fantastic—so why do I have both of these tools, and expensive versions at that? If only something like the new Conair Metá e Metá (Half & Half) Infiniti Pro ($139.99 on sale for $129.99 at London Drugs) had existed back when I was shopping around for hair styling appliances. This versatile two-in-one device not only cuts down on the number of hair appliances one needs, it takes the guesswork out of creating perfect waves. Oh, and it probably goes without saying that it's perfect for DIY hairstyles over the holiday season or as a gift idea. You'll want to bookmark this review!
What it is: A two-in-one hair styling tool that curls and straightens hair. One side has straightening iron plates about 2.5" wide, while the other side houses a curling chamber. Jagged teeth adjacent to the curling chamber grab onto hair and literally suck it into the machine, wrapping it around the curling chamber's internal cylinder.
The tool's settings are easy to decipher and let you decide between straight or wavy styles, the type of wave (counter-clockwise, alternating, or clockwise), and three heat levels.
Packaging-wise: The Conair Metá e Metá comes with helpful instruction pamphlets and a black heat coaster. You'll definitely need to use the latter as the exterior of the head of the tool can get quite hot.
Performance-wise: Although I'd seen Conair Metá e Metá demo'd at the #LDBeauty media event, I still had reservations about trying it on myself. The straightening iron functionality was, ahem, straightforward enough. But a device that promised to suck my hair into it and wrap it around something else? That sounded like a recipe for tangles and disaster.
However, I was pleasantly surprised when I tested the curling functionality on the weekend. As per the instructions, I used Conair Metá e Metá on clean, dry, product-free hair separated into 1" sections. I held the section away from my head with my left hand on the left side and my right hand on the right side. Then I used the opposite hand to grip the styling tool with the curling chamber pointed towards my head. The section of hair cleared the teeth and the straightening iron plates on the other side.
As soon as my hair "caught" on the teeth successfully, I could hear mechanical whirs sounding as the Conair Metá e Metá literally sucked the ends into the curling chamber. I never experienced a tangle mishap and there was never too much pull or tension on the locks inside the device. (In fact, if you're holding your hair at a funny angle that's likely to cause tangles, the device makes a sound like an angry buzzer.) Once the hair is inside the curling chamber, the device single-beeps 6 times and then lets out a beep that sounds like windchimes. That's the signal to release the tool and pull it gently away from the head, and voila, one perfect loose wave.
I have the sort of thick, straight, absurdly healthy Asian hair that can't hold a curl so it took approximately 20 minutes using the highest heat setting and sectioning off my hair to achieve the results above. These curls were finger-combed after they'd cooled, and without product they started loosening around the 4-hour mark. For the boy's Christmas party later that night, I brushed my hair out and re-curled it, and then spritzed hairspray on the freshly finger-combed waves. The curls lasted until the next morning the second time around.
One final note: Although there are technically 3 curl settings, the all-clockwise and all-counter-clockwise ones can look a little too "done" with perfectly uniform waves all spiraling in the same direction. The middle setting produces a prettier, more natural result.
Lazy girls will like it because: Even Lazy Girls want to make more of an effort with their hair sometimes, especially for special occasions and holiday parties. The Conair Metá e Metá is easy to use and versatile. At $139.99, it's also relatively affordable, and when you think about the fact that it saves money and space by eliminating the need for separate straightening and curling irons it becomes even more appealing. Hairstyling novices will love how there's absolutely no skill or technique required to get polished-looking waves—no need to guess the exact tension, direction or angle at which you need to wrap hair around a hot curling wand. Plus, all the heated elements are hidden so there's no risk of burning yourself, something which novices and experts alike will appreciate!
P.S. For another Lazy Girl Approved hairstyling device, check out Conair Infiniti Pro The Ultimate Brush.
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