So here I was, watching endless YouTube videos as I do sometimes, and I stumbled upon grav3yardgirl channel where she has the "Does This Thing Really Work" series (FYI, that series is hilarious and so entertaining). Grav3yardgirl did a review on the Topstyler by Instyler, and let's just say it peaked my interest quite a bit, enough to look up even more reviews and eventually order myself one off of Amazon for $28 (I can't find that listing anymore, but you can find it at Walmart for $78 and Newegg for $30).
Once I received the Topstyler by Instyler package, I was impressed by the great quality of the product: the case was made of a durable hard material and looked very sleek. The Topstyler included ten shells (5 big, 5 small), a comb and some instructional material (some people reported receiving 15 shells, which I would have preferred as well). The way you are supposed to use the shells is actually very easy. By wrapping your hair around your fingers, create a ring curl, hold it in place, and clamp the heated shell onto the hair. Let it cool, take it out, and you should have beautiful, voluminous curls to last all day. So to quote Bunny, did this thing really work?
To start out, the system heated up very fast, in about 5 minutes. I've used hot rollers before and hated how they were so heavy, but the Topstyler shells are very light and won't pull your hair, or put any dents in the curls (those dreaded dents that look like hair crimps a la 1980s). I wish I had more than ten shells, because even though I don't have a lot of hair, I was forced to use more hair per shell since I was running out of them. The Topstyler shells cool down in about 15 minutes (you can do your makeup during this time) and come out easily, to reveal soft, bouncy curls.
This product really amazed me the first time, because as much as the next girl, curls are a very evasive, magical thing that I've been trying to achieve over some time now. The only downside of the Topstyler, and it's an important one, is that my curls didn't last long. In the photograph above, I took out the Topstyler shells only ten minutes before, and as you can tell, my hair was already becoming flat and losing the curls. I recommend this product for people whose hair holds a curl easily, and people who are usually in a rush with their hairstyle, as this is perfect for a quick hair-do.
Because I love the effect of the Topstyler, I will try hairspraying my hair before setting it into the C shells and I'll see how that goes. Have you tried the Topstyler curling system yourself? Let me know if you have any tips for me and my forever-straight hair! I am looking into reviewing a conical curling wand soon, so stay tuned for the results!
Stay Pretty, Mackenzie M.