Re: Calista buyers, BEWARE!

OneHappyHiker · ‎01-04-2011

@tends2dogs wrote:
Let me preface this by saying I have owned many of her tools and liked them.

I have only tried this new tool once. I did notice that it doesn't hold your hair tight - no grip. I pinched the end of the barrel with my other hand in order for my hair to not slip out.

If I return this it will be because the metal "cooling" plates are HOT to the touch. This is a definite defect. Maria kept holding that part of the iron with her hand and said it was cool.....mine is not. There is no way I would be able to touch them when it is on.

I just went to look at my receipt. It has a return label attached with the receipt, along with a return info portion. I am sure I will be returning this and I know I will have to contact CS in order to get credit for my postage.

@tends2dogs I have the tool, got it last week, have been using it ever since. It has taken me about four or five tries to figure out what works with my hair to achieve the desired results. I also have a similar one that is a smaller size, made by Paula Abdul and Martino who she collabed with, which makes tighter waves/curls/whatever because of the smaller barrel size. I have straight hair and must use product for all my tools or I get zero results. My favorite so far is the Perfecter because I can really hold onto that with no burning. Both this tool and Paula's give me similar results, different than a curling iron or the Perfecter. I don't straighten my hair because it's already straight and not frizzy.

All of that being said, I'm confused what you said that I underlined. The metal PLATES are NOT for cooling. The metal plates are the same as a straightener or iron barrel. They are the part of this tool that heats up and ARE HOT! The part Maria kept holding and telling us it is cool to the touch is the rounded portion with the holes in it. That barrel portion is the cooling part with a fan passing cool air over your hair AFTER it comes out of the HOT plates. In essence, like Paula's, it curls down the curls that you just heated up in the plates to hopefully make it hold better. So yes, when I grab the entire barrel the way Maria was grabbing it, it is NOT hot. If I were to slip my fingers in between that outer barrel and they hit the inner plates, yes they are hot!

Also... the tension is great if you put enough hair into it and wrap it once or twice as she demonstrated. If anyone doesn't have enough hair, or when using smaller sections, holding the end (like I must do for Paula's when using smaller sections of hair) is imperative for there to be enough tension.

I hope this clears up what Maria was telling us.... if I got this all correct as to what you were describing that is lol. I hate for you to send back something that might work for you!

ETA: I had to change the name... I had Mally on the brain... it was really Paula

OneHappyHiker · ‎01-04-2011

@granddi I just wrote something about this tool. I can definitely see where it wouldn't grip your hair if your hair is fine... PLUS... if your hair is fine, I don't think you would want to keep adding tension on the strands! If I use too small a section, I do have to grasp the end cap portion because this seems to have a preset tension if you don't. Maria mentioned that. I have a couple other tools that I find myself gripping for more tension when using small hair sections and then others I have to kind of press a little to get it to open up more haha. Oh the trials and tribulations we go through to look cute

tends2dogs · ‎05-08-2010

@OneHappyHiker Thank you for the detailed reply! I went back and looked at the video. At 8:48 or so, Maria is touching the plates and says, these are not hot. Mine are hot.

I am going to try it again this weekend and make up my mind. If it is defective, I don't want to keep it. $85 is too much for me to lose if it stops working after the 30 days.

Like I said before, I have and like the Calista tools. This one remains to be seen. Thanks again~

Fear not Brothers and Sisters! I have read THE BOOK..........we win!!!

OneHappyHiker · ‎01-04-2011

@tends2dogs wrote:
@OneHappyHiker Thank you for the detailed reply! I went back and looked at the video. At 8:48 or so, Maria is touching the plates and says, these are not hot. Mine are hot.

I am going to try it again this weekend and make up my mind. If it is defective, I don't want to keep it. $85 is too much for me to lose if it stops working after the 30 days.

Like I said before, I have and like the Calista tools. This one remains to be seen. Thanks again~

@tends2dogs Yes... my inside flat plates are HOT! I tried seeing where I couldn't touch when I got it so I wouldn't inadvertently burn myself with a new tool while doing my hair, and I stay clear of those plates. All plates on all my tools are HOT! The only redeeming factor is the plates are inside on some of my tools, including this one, whereas on my curling irons they are not and have been accidently touched - OUCH!

Now... I watched that video and focused in around 8:40 and continued.... Maria is curling short hair and talking about how we would burn ourselves with a curling iron if we got too close to our scalp. She is holding the portion I was referring to above... the metal outside barrel that has the cooling holes in it when she says that's not hot. On mine, that outside area is NOT hot. If that is hot on yours, then it's defective. The outside is cool from the cool air, but the inside plates are hot.

I like some of her tools btw... not all... so I understand. I just hope this isn't defective!

Dennieee · ‎06-11-2019

What I dislike about Calista presentations is that they rarely show anyone actually straightening their hair. The models come to set with it already done, then they go over the already straightened hair with the tool. I have hair like model Stacey (afro-textured, but mine is even more dense) which takes longer to straighten than most other textures. I'd like to see Stacey actually arrive with her hair in it's "before" state, and actually straighten it on set.

Carolina925 · ‎03-09-2010

I love my Calista tools and have bought quite a few through the years after they quit working. I wasn't interested in the latest Air Glider, didn't think it would work for me. I'm really challenged with styling my hair. I don't understand why you would send it back to Calista and not just return it to QVC unless your 30 day window has passed. I hope you can find something that works for you, we need to be able to depend on our hair products!

bargainsgirl · ‎01-13-2012

@Jk9 wrote:
OK so the product didn't work for you and you asked for a QVC return label. That doesn't mean that it wouldn't work for someone else. My Calista perfector is my go to tool and is still going strong after years of use.

Me too! I have 2 perfectors (different sizes) and they work beautifullly for me. I have had them for at least 9 years!!

San Antonio Gal · ‎05-18-2017

@Dennieee wrote:
What I dislike about Calista presentations is that they rarely show anyone actually straightening their hair. The models come to set with it already done, then they go over the already straightened hair with the tool. I have hair like model Stacey (afro-textured, but mine is even more dense) which takes longer to straighten than most other textures. I'd like to see Stacey actually arrive with her hair in it's "before" state, and actually straighten it on set.

Agree @Dennieee . The beautiful Stacey always has her hair styled and they show a "before" picture.

Teddixat · ‎10-04-2010

@Dennieee @San Antonio Gal

I watched the original presentation of this tool and several models demonstrated the tool on their own hair themselves as did Shawn. I watched the presentation several times during the day and saw models doing their own hair.

Caaareful Shopper · ‎10-09-2012

@Dennieee wrote:
What I dislike about Calista presentations is that they rarely show anyone actually straightening their hair. The models come to set with it already done, then they go over the already straightened hair with the tool. I have hair like model Stacey (afro-textured, but mine is even more dense) which takes longer to straighten than most other textures. I'd like to see Stacey actually arrive with her hair in it's "before" state, and actually straighten it on set.

@Dennieee Maria loves to use Stacey to represent all afro-textured hair, which of course is not representative. But Stacey's hair does look lovely with some of Maria's tools, like the Perfector. With those tools, Maria shows Stacey in the presentations over & over. Plus she does her hair completely and it looks fantastic.

But I noticed Stacey was only use sparingly for the AirGlide Pro. She only did a small portion of her hair. Each time she used it, you could plainly see that the tool didn't do much for her hair at all.

I just don't think tool was ever meant to be used for the majority of afro-texured hair -- some Yes, most No.

That's why I didn't give it any consideration.