Just the other day at one of my favorite flea markets, I walked right up on a machine that I had only “heard tell of” from my mama. It was a vintage salon hair dryer complete with chrome hood; the letters that once read “on/off” faded long ago.
As I stepped closer to snap a photo of this piece of history with my iPhone 5, I had an epiphany. Standing there on a random afternoon in 2013, I realized that this object which seemed so foreign to me is an example of how far we have come. When my nieces are all grown up, someone will look at the iPhone 5 with equal amazement and think of it as a relic.
Today’s salons are equipped with state-of-the-art wonders that even make me marvel, things like hand-held blow dryers suspended from the ceiling, disc-shaped rings of light that rotate around a head of highlights and styling tools with touch-screen technology that would seem alien to those women who once sat under the vintage chrome-hooded dryer.
Nowadays we have light-up tweezers, countertop facial saunas and even heated eyelash curlers. One of my favorites is the Body Essentials deep cleansing facial brush massager which a colleague from NYC sent me to try a few weeks ago, and I fell in love. It comes with three attachments for cleansing, applying serums and exfoliating. I’m addicted!
I only wish Mama was here. Oh, the fun we could have with the Sally Hansen Salon Pro Gel manicure. It’s as easy as 1-2-3 to paint on one of the many shellac-formula lacquers, add topcoat, and then insert your nails into the mini UV lamp. Voila, you have do-it-yourself manicures for a small one-time investment.
You might also love the handheld HairMax LaserComb which uses heat energy to increase blood flow and circulation, making hair follicles larger. When used for 10 to 15 minutes three times a week, it promises thicker, fuller hair. It’s expensive, but I am hearing great things about it.
The Goody QuickStyle paddle brush with its superabsorbent terry cloth bristles is a fabulous invention for those wanting to combine towel drying and detangling into one step. Oh, and I saved my very favorite for last, my personal UV monitor that takes the guesswork out of sun protection. Once I have input my skin type and the type of SPF being used, it beeps when it’s time for me to dust the sand off my toes and get out of the sun.
You can find a more detailed list of beauty gadgets on my Facebook page (beautifulwithdavid), some of which will indeed make you feel like Judy Jetson as we all move into the future — beautifully, of course.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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