Grab a cup of tea, girls--- or you could just break my heart and skip ahead.

I have thick hair that is more or less straight, its just the ends that seem to have a broken compass. I've been in need of a new hair straightener for quite some time but with my hair not being problematic, I didn't place urgency on this need. Until I got an ah-mazing haircut in December!

And which hair straightener brought out this ah-mazing? Yup- a ghd. Blow drying my hair straight and using my ol' faithful (a BaByliss Wet and Dry)was literally a poor man's version of the initial result. And my ol' faithful really just makes my hair warm...like a warm embrace from a bitter ex that shocks it into temporary straightness.

I did a bit of research, when looking to make a purchase. According to most reviews, the ghd is still pretty popular and the new competitor gaining popularity is the GlamPalm. Ghd retailing from R1699 and Glampalm R1999. I would purchase neither. Why? I can't imagine spending that much money on a styling tool, I can't afford to. And I know many of you reading this may feel the same way.

So! I was in search for something just as good but at a reasonable price. The Remington Pearl kept popping up on my radar. I watched a few video reviews and all were positive. I couldn't find it in stores so I checked online and found it on style36 for R799 and then on sale for R599 on Takealot.com!

Enough of my story-telling! Here's the info you really want:

The design of it is oh-so sleek and stylish. It's mostly black, with white trimmings and a nice girly flower motif at the base, this flowery design can also be found on the packaging. Nicely done, I appreciate the attention to detail. It has a digital display of the temperature, which can be adjusted by tiny buttons found along the side.

The plates are black, contain 'real pearl' and there is a plate lock! Which means that by pushing on a little tab, which can be found where the cord and straightener meet, you can lock the plates so that they lie flat against each other and are 'closed'. I think this is really great, especially for travel.

Speaking of travel...you will love the travel pouch that comes with it. It looks like a metallic clutch. Super hot. When you unroll it, it also becomes a cooling matt. Loved this.

Performance! I set the temperature at 180*C, you would of course adjust according to your hair texture. I saw the difference immediately. I had to go over the hair twice, and was left with soft and shiny hair. Because my hair is thick, I had to do small sections at a time as the plates are slim.

The end result? Impressive! I honestly prefer the finish. My hair feels super soft and it has a great shine to it. There's no static or frizz, just a natural straightness to it. With a ghd, my hair was straight but flat and also grew oily as the day wore on. This feels great.

I'm happy with this product, so glad that I bought it. I'll be adding pictures of the actual product and the results on my profile.

(In the videos that I watched, it worked well on all ethnicities).