Beauty Tech : Beauty and Fashion Tech

A Couple of Pink Beauty Tech Items for October

Here are a couple of neat pink “tech” items for your October shopping. If you have been considering one of these and love pink or want to see a portion of your investment go to charity, here is your chance!

The CLARISONIC Skin Care Brush Limited Edition Pink, Breast Cancer Awareness + 2 oz Cleanser. I have yet to try the Clarisonic, but it gets generally pretty good reviews. The pink version is adorable!

The Nu Face Facial Toning System, Limited Edition Pink is an FDA approved device that uses microcurrent technology to lift and tone the face, reduce and eliminate fine lines and wrinkles, improve facial circulation, skin exfoliation, lymphatic drainage, treat sun damage and skin pigment, and improve product penetration. the NuFace Toner is another one that I haven’t personally tried.

Both are expensive, so if you plan to spend, you might as well assure that a bit goes to charity!

BBNBCA

Popularity: 26% [?]

Free Your Hands For Hair Drying With Blo & Go

The Blo & Go hair dryer holder is one of those “as seen on TV” products that looks pretty cool, but many will wonder if it really works. Well, this one generally does!

The premise of the Blo & Go is that you can attach your dryer to it for hands free hair drying—a great thing if you like to do blow outs. Personally, I never could do a decent one on myself. The sides would turn out lovely, but doing the back was next to impossible. So I would end up with rather schizophrenic looking hair. Well, with a bit of experimenting, the Blo & Go fixed that.

The Blo & Go attaches to any stable, smooth surface, such as a mirror, counter, or tile (it is not appropriate for painted or wallpapered surfaces). The user then attaches their hair dryer and can stand under it to have both hands free for styling. I found that it worked fairly well, although learning how to maneuver under it in order to get the angle right takes a bit of practice. Regardless, I ended up with a pretty good home blow out using it.

The Blo & Go attaches with a strong suction cup and I noted no issues with slippage. It definitely stays in place. The dryer sits easily in the frame and is held in place by a bungee cord. A few things to note though. First, this works best if you have a surface to attach it to that you can stand right next to or under. But I made do by attaching it to the mirror behind the sink. It had enough reach from there to be usable. Also, my dryer is rather large, and the bungee cord would not stretch over it. I was still able to effectively use it, but a bit longer cord would be nice.

At $29.99, it is a pretty affordable device. If you regularly do blow outs, you may find it of interest.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Can You Reuse the Zeno Tip? No!

I have been asked on a couple of occasions whether the Zeno Tip Cartridge can be reused. At first I did not definitely know the answer because the tip on mine had not yet expired. Now that it has, I can safely say that the answer is no.

When the device gets down to only a few uses left on the tip, the tip itself seems to quit heating up as effectively. I found that I was basically cheated out of my last 2 uses. Then it just quits and will not heat up at all. I took it off and put it back on to see it it would reset, and it did not. Basically, it appears to have a little chip in it that kills it after the set number of uses has run out.

I should also mention that even if I had found a way to re-use it, I would not recommend doing to. It really is best to follow the manufacturer’s directions on such things. Regardless, I couldn’t find a way to to cheat it.

Interested in acne treatment devices? Read my review of the Zeno and review of the ThermaClear.

Comparison shop for Zeno products

Popularity: 7% [?]

Review: Thermaclear Acne Treatment Device

The Thermaclear Acne Treatment Device is quite the shocking device. Literally! But it is shocking in a good way.

The rise of technology using heat devices to treat acne is one of the best things to arrive on the beauty scene. Indeed, one of the first things I did when I started Beauty and Fashion Tech was review the Zeno Acne Treatment Device. In that review, I mentioned “zapping” zits. In light of trying the Thermaclear device, I probably should have used the term “heat” with the Zeno and reserved the term “zap” for the Thermaclear! The Thermaclear device is similar to the Zeno, and it also works. Yet Thermaclear is also wildly different. Where the Zeno applies heat over several minutes, Thermaclear quickly shoots them with a jolt of heat.

The Thermaclear device operates on two AA batteries and heats up in a matter of seconds. Once ready, the device is held to a pimple and a button is pushed. Then the thing ZAPS the zit with heat– as in shocks, fries, and jolts it. This is where it is so different from the Zeno, which heats up and then is held on the area for several minutes. The use of the Thermaclear takes only a second. It is also ready for reuse almost immediately. I really like the efficiency it.

The zap is literally a bit shocking, which takes a bit of getting used to. I found that at first it stung quite a bit and that I would flinch in anticipation of it. But after several uses, I was less surprised by it and no longer had that problem. After about six uses I was completely used to it. There is also something rather satisfying about jolting a zit with a shock of heat.

Real life re-enactment: My boyfriend is in the bathroom and I hear the Thermaclear beep that it is ready:

Thermaclear: Beeeeep
Boyfriend: Ouch!
Thermaclear: Beeeep
Boyfriend: Ouch!
Thermaclear: Beeeep
Boyfriend: Ouch!
Boyfriend: This Thing Rocks!

Once you get used to that jolt of heat, the Thermaclear Device really does work. I used it on some emerging acne and it was gone the next day. On some tougher acne, the time was cut at least in half. I am quite pleased with the device. Like the Zeno, the Thermaclear is not meant for deep cystic acne or blackheads, although I tried it on cystic acne and thought that it helped bring it to a head a bit quicker.

Both the Zeno and Thermaclear are expensive, although the Thermaclear is a bit cheaper, both intially and with upkeep. Overall, I prefer the Thermaclear because it is so much quicker to use. It also does not need its tip replaced as often as the Zeno does and the battery operation is nice. But if the idea of a true zap of heat makes you nervous, the Zeno is a bit more comfortable to use. It just takes quite a bit longer.

Shop for the Thermaclear Device

Popularity: 30% [?]

Personal UV Meters

Before getting into the sunscreens. Sunscreen week kicks off with information about a cool little gadget. check out this Oregon Scientific Personal UV Monitor. It also has an exposure timer. Or look at the full list of UV meters available at Amazon.com

The idea of personal UV monitoring intrigues me. I wonder whether it is a useful device or just another gadget that would end up collecting dust?

They certainly seem interesting though! Has anyone out there tried one of these?

Popularity: 2% [?]

New Beauty Technology: Using Cell Phone Photos to Receive Makup Color Recommendations?

Check out this online article from Scientific American about upcoming technology for the automatic recommendation of makeup colors from your cell phone: Coral Lipstick—It’s You! Or So Says a New Cosmetics Algorithm.

According to the article, Hewlett-Packard has developed an algorithm that will allow cell phone users to snap a photo from the phone and then receive specific recommendations about makeup shades. The results are sent via text message and the process takes just seconds. The technology will become available when Hewlett-Packard announces the cosmetics company that it is partnering with.

There is no word yet on who that cosmetics company is. Nor is there info on how it will be made available or what it will cost. I am quite curious to find out. I also am a bit skeptical about it really working, but according to the article, women who tested it were pleased with the results. Stay tuned…..

Popularity: 5% [?]

Hottiedots Adhesive Beauty Marks

A few weeks ago I was sent a fun little product to try called Hottiedots. These are stick on beauty marks that come in a range of shades. I always was kind of fascinated by beauty marks, so I had a good time giving these a whirl. The “dots” adhere easily and are comfortable to wear. According to the company, they are skin tested. The colors appear quite natural, but I did note that they are very perfectly round. That was OK with me, but I think a slightly rough edge might look more natural. Then again, a slightly rough edge might look weird? So I’m just not sure there! They stayed on well for me and I was surprised to find that I didn’t really notice when I had one on. I thought I might feel it or something, but it was completely comfortable. I tried them after applying light makeup, but before using powder. I then read that the inventor suggests using them before makeup application, which makes quite a bit of sense. I think they would look the most natural that way. Plus, that would assure that they adhere well, although I didn’t run into any problems with them staying on.

I had fun wearing some, and they are quite inexpensive. I suppose the only downside is that people who know you are going to know you are wearing a fake. But for a bit of cheap fun, or for anyone looking for a simple way to add a beauty mark, it is a neat little product!

Popularity: 5% [?]