Nicky Clarke Diamond Shine Pro Salon Straightener

If you know me even a tad bit, it's easy to realise I am curls kinda girl. I love straight hair, don't get me wrong but I always felt they don't suit me as much as curls and secondly, it's much easier to curl my naturally wavy hair than going against nature drastically to straighten them. I've tried my fair share of straighteners in the past and eventually got bored of the 'cult favourites'. Recently I gave Nicky Clarke Diamond Shine Pro Salon Straightener (what a mouthful!) a shot and damn it was impressive. I really didn't expect an affordable heat tool to work so well.
The overly photoshopped image of the model on the box with diamonds embedded in her didn't make me think it actually works really well at adding shine. I am not sure how it does it, but it makes hair twice as shiny. The white, gold and taupe colour scheme of the device is quite chic and modern, a lovely change from the boring blacks. It's also got printed detailing and some rhinestones encrusted near the heat setting panel which looks beautiful. With 5 heat settings, it allows you to custom treat your hair depending on your hair type or occasion.
I personally like to go poker straight and the highest temperature is my go-to one. Having said that, I only do that once a week and then try to extend the effects for 3 days with dry shampoo and all that jazz to reduce further heat damage. The trick I learnt over time to keep hair straighter for longer and prevent kinks is to leave it undisturbed for 10-15 minutes after straightening. By that I mean no tossing and turning, no serum lathering and so on.
Once it's cooled down after a short window and has adapted to that shape, go ahead and finish it off and the results will last much longer. On the whole, for £84.99, I quite prefer it to my old straighteners. Just one gripe with this - curls can be a little 'sharp' and not as smooth. Nonetheless, great for straightening and carrying out on holidays or long weekends.
www.nickyclarke.com