Remington Pearl Wand curling tong August 2010

Hotter, faster, smoother – that’s how Remington describes its ‘lust-have’ styling accessory, the Pearl Wand curling tong. We’ve not tested this fully, but our flowing locks are now curled to bring you our First Look review.

The Pearl Wand boasts a real pearl coating which claims to give the wand barrel (the part hair is wrapped around) a smoother and longer-lasting coating, than a standard ceramic styling tool.

We haven’t tried it for long enough to comment on how long the coating will last but, to the end user, the ‘smoother coating’ part should mean it’s easier to use.

In reality, we found the smooth barrel difficult to wrap hair around (and hold in place) without it sliding up the barrel or off the end altogether. Hair has to be held quite taught.

While the tip of the wand is, indeed, cool it’s easy to accidentally move fingertips onto the hot barrel body. We think it will take the average user a while to get used to using and holding the wand correctly, and producing consistent curls.

The Remington Curl Wand heats up to 210°C

Curled to perfection?

Curls will be as good as your technique; a pro using a hot styling tool will easily create a head of luscious curls. For a novice, we think curls take a bit of trial and error - and a few hot fingertips.

We found it heated up fast; but the ‘on’ button and temperature controls are fairly small, as is the digital display.

The wand will automatically shut off after 60 minutes – a useful feature, but with something that heats up to 210°C, we think it’s better to get into the habit of turning it off.

We like the heat-proof pouch it comes with, but think the instructions are slightly lacking in precise guidance – especially if you’re new to curling wands.

Pros: Looks great, creates good curls (with practice)

Cons: Hard to use if you’re not familiar with curling tongs, fingertips can accidentally touch the hot barrel