Why we think the Dyson Airstrait fits in anyone’s beauty routine

When it comes to the holy grail of hair stylers, it’s hard not to think of Dyson. Since the debut of the SuperSonic hair dryer in 2016, Dyson’s range of products, from hair stylers to home cleaners, have remained highly sought after and coveted by many.

The Dyson Airstrait is one of the company’s latest which was first released in the US and Europe, letting the rest of the world wait in anticipation. But the wait is finally over because the Airstrait has finally made its way to Southeast Asia.

Color me happy because I can finally evolve from just watching videos of it to actually trying it out on my hair.

Why all the hype?

What exactly about the Dyson Airstrait gets people excited? Isn’t it just another hair straightener?

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If you want something more detailed, like all its features in specs, you can find that in our earlier post but in essence, the Airstrait is a wet-to-dry, hot plate-less hair straightener whose intention is to cut your prep time down to just 15 minutes. Maybe even less. And in any routine, beauty or otherwise, any time saved is time you can spend doing other things. So how does the Dyson Airstrait help in this aspect?

It simplifies the daily routine

You know Dyson hit the nail on the head when almost everyone has the same answer to the question, “Why do you want it?” The answer: it’s so convenient.

Since, again, this is a wet-to-dry styling tool, you can jump straight to using it after a quick towel-dry of your hair. And unlike using the usual hair dryer + brush combo, all you need is one tool to get the job done. Having tried it out myself, I can say that it’s easy enough to do and, more importantly, probably hard to mess up since it’s a straightforward process.

You’re also not limited to using it with wet hair since there’s also a specific mode for dry hair. There are also pre-set temperatures you can choose from plus, it’s pretty fast. According to the demo they gave us, thinner hair can dry with just one slow pass. Dyson claims that it should take you about 15 minutes or less to dry and style your hair.

Isn’t that convenient?

No plates, no problem

As someone with hair that’s almost too straight and on the thin side, I’ve always been paranoid about damage. I’ve been there, done that with hot tools, and only hit pause when my hair started to look fried. Since the Dyson Airstrait uses hot air, you don’t get that kind of damage and you still get smooth, shiny hair that looks naturally straight. Surprisingly, even when the Airstrait was super close to my roots and scalp, the heat wasn’t at all uncomfortable.

The difference between using the Airstrait and a traditional hot plate straighter can be obvious, especially at the tips of your hair. Normally, hair has a hard, stringy feel when straightening with hot plates but I didn’t see that at all with the Aistrait. Dyson says that there’s no danger in using hair styling or protecting products as well while using it.

Safety first

Apart from being an efficient styling tool, it’s equipped with safety features, too. It might not be as high-tech as the Dyson Nural, but it knows when to tone down the heat when your hair’s in the clamps. It quiets down, cools off, and keeps you safe.

And if you’re the forgetful type, the Auto-Pause feature is a lifesaver. Leave the Airstrait on the table without turning it off?  It’ll chill out and stop until you pick it up again. Plus, the hot air kicks in only when you clamp the device.

Gorgeously Dyson and low maintenance, too.

Who doesn’t love a gadget that’s as pretty as it is practical?

The Airstrait is not just a looker (available in two colorways here in the Philippines) but also a breeze to maintain. There’s a nifty LCD screen to keep tabs on your settings, and cleaning the filter is a piece of cake. Dyson says once a month is recommended, but you do you.

What else?

One of the things you have to know about the Dyson Airstrait is that it’s pretty big. Compared to the Corrale, it’s longer and wider but thankfully much lighter.

And in case you’re wondering, it can’t do curls, sadly. You can probably do waves and you can definitely do a small J- or C-curl. For curls, there’s always the Airwrap.

The Dyson Airstrait is now available in global markets. It’s priced at $499 in the US, £449.99 in the UK, and PhP 33,900 in the Philippines.

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Mazda3 edition100 review: Celebrating beauty

For Mazda Philippines, there were two ways of celebrating winning the world’s best-designed car award for 2020: Posting an ordinary photo on its social media recognizing their achievement OR going all out and producing limited edition Mazda3 to make this big news even bigger. And if it wasn’t for the second option, we wouldn’t have this special feature article right here.

That’s right. The Mazda3 won the World Car Design of the Year for 2020 and Bermaz Auto Philippines, the exclusive distributor of Mazda in the Philippines, introduces the Mazda3 edition100 to celebrate this momentous occasion. And mind you, there are only 50 of these in the country. Talk about exclusivity, right?

The edition100 is basically the five-door Mazda3 Sportback Premium with tweaked aesthetics. Think of it as customizing an already beautiful piece of art. With that in mind, this vehicle still carries its KODO design language with more sophistication and follows its aesthetic mantra of going for simplicity.

It comes in three new colorways that further highlight the dynamic features of the award-winning model — the very attractive Snowflake White Pearl, the passionate Soul Red Crystal, and the edgy Jet Black.

What we have here is the Soul Red Crystal with its deep red color that’s generally subdued but still demands to be noticed. It’s important to note that apart from the Soul Red variant which features a gloss black body kit, the two other color variants adopt a striking Soul Red highlight.

The Snowflake White Pearl edition100 with its Soul Red kits, gloss black rims, and red brake calipers.

Another thing you’ll notice is that it now wears 18-inch Midnight Black alloy wheels with red calipers and left its gunmetal rims back home. The company says the black and red hues evoke the brand’s sporty heritage and indeed, they do look the part.

This affinity for red color continues inside as the seats are wrapped in red leather so feeling that premium vibe doesn’t stop outside.

The interior trims are also wrapped in this soft and padded material that’s very nice to the touch. If the exterior exudes a bold look, the interior screams premium comfort.

The interior still sports an 8.8-inch infotainment display, 12-speaker Bose sound system, dual-zone climate control, and a 10-way power driver adjust. Adding to those, driving features include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and a 360-degree camera, among others.

Under the hood, the edition100 still remains powered by the 2-liter Skyactiv-G engine with a six-speed automatic gearbox. We enjoyed a spirited drive in and out of the highway and even went through a mountain’s twisties and the vehicle handled itself gracefully.

In terms of safety, it also comes with the company’s advanced i-Activsense which consists of an array of safety features. It has Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist, Smart Brake Support, and Driver Attention Alert. With all these safety tech and more, it’s no wonder that the 2020 Mazda3 received the Top Safety Pick+ status from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

And finally, the last refinement done to the edition100 is its relocated front license plate holder. It’s now moved to just above the body kit so the front grille of the car can be viewed in its entirety.

Personally, Mazda is one of the car manufacturers that really focus on what matters. From the exterior, it has that bold design that says a lot but through means of simplicity. The interior is an eye-candy, definitely, but it doesn’t end there; it’s very comfortable and ergonomic as well. Even its 2-liter engine is just the right power for what this vehicle needs.

There is no shortage of entertainment features either. In fact, it has some of the best speakers in vehicles today, and that display with no touch function? Safety is the reason why it has its physical knob for navigation.

These small, but thought-out implementations for me, are what put Mazda in a league of their own when it comes to driving experience. In short, while most manufacturers aim for balance in overall performance, Mazda is one of those who really does things right.

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