Do you remember The Far Side comics by Gary Larson? Some of them must have been based on my life, like this one to the right for the Midvale School for the Gifted.
It’s true. I’m like a female version of that kid. “Stupid door! Must. Push. Harder! Gah!”
As a matter of fact, I had a Midvale moment last night with the packaging for the Rusk W8LESS The Power of Light kit ($166).
The kit comes with two limited edition pink products, the Rusk W8LESS Hairdryer and Flat Iron, released for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and, no joke, the box took me at least 10 minutes to open (a Rubik’s Cube would have been easier to solve!).
El Hub was watching TV a few feet away from my grunts and groans and looked up at me like I was kidding. “Really? What are you trying to open over there? A bank vault?”
No, just a nearly impenetrable plastic box!
Rusk plans to donate a set $40,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation this year, and the amount of their donation isn’t directly tied to the sale of the kit.
Now, Rusk wasn’t kidding with the whole W8LESS (weightless) thing, particularly when it comes to the dryer. If you’re accustomed to holding a heavy dryer for 20-30 minutes at a time, you may appreciate the lighter weight. I didn’t set it on a scale, but I do think it’s lighter than the impressively small T3 Featherweight. As for the flat iron, it doesn’t feel any lighter than usual to me.
Rusk is known for pro-quality hair care products and tools, and the powerful 2,000-watt W8LESS dryer (compared to the 1,800-watt T3 Featherweight) comes with three heat settings and two speeds.
Like many high-end dryers, it’s ionic, which in hair drying terms means it throws far-infrared heat to reduce drying time, heating the hair cuticle from within (or so the story goes; here’s a post for more on the subject).
After wrestling with the package last night, I needed a shower, and I used the W8LESS to dry my hair, which took about 8 minutes. That’s a bit quicker than the T3 (about 10 minutes), but it’s in the same ballpark.
I definitely like how lightweight it feels, but I’d swap nozzles if I could. The one on the W8LESS seems a little too narrow, not that it impairs the way it works. I just prefer the wider one on the T3.
The flat iron didn’t impress me like the dryer, but it’s certainly effective. I wouldn’t call it groundbreaking, but it does have 50 (!) heat settings, you know, just in case 10 aren’t enough. 🙂
Rusk claims it heats up to 450 degrees instantly! Yeah, instantly is pretty fast… I don’t know, but it does get hot in seconds. I’ll give it that.
It took me between three to five passes to straighten each section of hair, but because the plates are only an inch wide, I felt like I couldn’t target very large bunches of hair each time; flat irons with wider plates seem to get the job done a little quicker. With this one, my head of hair took about 15 minutes to complete.
Is It Worth the Cost?
For $166, you get two tools that perform nearly as well as pro products, but I don’t get the sense that they’re bargains by any means. Both are fast, light and highly effective, and considering the $200 cost of the legendary T3 Featherweight, $166 for two tools isn’t an altogether bad deal.
PRICE: $165.95
AVAILABILITY: At Ulta stores and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
ohhhh … i likey! i am in the market for a new hairdryer and ill def check this out. i like that its a pair and light. my current one is heavyyyyy!!!
Hi, Nina. It’s not bad at all, especially if you could use a new flat iron too. Then it’s like a two for one.
i can always use a new flat iro … i have one that the hubs (in his blessed male lack of awareness) that is surprisingly good – its red and he got it for me for last valentine’s day … but its a bit too wide for my hair … that one seems to be the perfect width!
im totally ordering this … 🙂
ps — i am counting on YOU to open up this package for me when i get it. 😛
Haha! Okay — I hope you’re patient. Because I might need at least three days.
okay three days it is. want some rice krispies treats while youre at it? 😀
Aww, that’s so sweet that your boo bought you a flat iron!! El Hub refuses to get me beauty products now. When we first started dating the boy knew how to hook it up though. Now I get electronics or stuff for the cat.
he doesnt get me makeup AT ALL – he says he refuses to feed the addiction.
i think he felt a bit guilty bec he was haphazard in his choice of valentine’s gifts. so he said he would do the grocery shopping alone (a task we often argue about – he hates it, i hate to do it alone)… he came home w/ the red flat iron! 🙂
That cartoon is going on my tombstone
LOL… yeah, me too.
hahha sometimes I have to use a steak knife to get those plastic packages open! The price seems alright to me if the hairdryer is that effective. I have a very old Conair hairdryer, and it’s not very effective. I usually just end up letting my hair air-dry.
LOL! You should have seen it. I felt like a primitive cave girl.
I loved The Far Side Comics! I totally relate to that kid.I have trouble opening up those kinds of packages too. Almost everything you buy at Costco seems to be encased in some impenetrable plastic tomb. And more often than not, I usually slice my finger while wresting it open. Sigh. Have you ever tried to get a Barbie out of it’s package? Holy heck man. I’m soooooo glad my kid is way beyond that now!
Your hair looks very shiny and straight! I likey!
YES! Costco is famous for those plastic packages. It’s like they’re made out of a single impenetrable piece of clear plastic, argh! I’m lucky I didn’t lose a finger working that scissors.
I hate that kind of packaging. Why do they do that to us consumers?
They must be cheaper, or the companies have a cruel, sadistic streak. At least, they better be hella cheaper or heads are gonna roll!
Karen you look gorgeous with minimal makeup.
Thanks, Hana. 🙂
Sometimes you gotta keep it simple, you know?
How are you today? And what makeup are you rockin’?
I keep it simple too most of the time. Today I just did foundation, cream blush, and some mascara. =)
I love the Far Side comics! I haven’t seen one of those in ages.
That’s great that the company is donating to breast cancer research. My CHI flat iron has been going strong for a while now. I’ve gotten used to it’s one heat setting, so I’m not sure what I would do with 50 of them. 🙂
I’ve had problems with that kind of packaging as well. It’s like you need the skill of a surgeon to cut open the plastic!
Hi Ruchita,
The 50 settings was almost…overwhelming. That sucker gets hot really FAST, which is great.
How are you liking your CHI?
I really like my CHI. I got my first one in red from my hair salon about 5 years ago, but the on/off switch broke after a couple of years.
Luckily they sent me a replacement for around 30 bucks (i think?) and I’ve had the new one ever since. Now I just leave the swtich on and just plug it in an unplug it when needed.
My hair is fine in texture, so it is not difficult to straighten. The CHI works great and gives a nice smooth finish.
Hi Ruchita,
That’s cool they sent you a replacement. Did you have to fill out a warranty card or something when you first bought your iron?
Ah, Conair… so many brands, so similar in performance, regardless of price! 🙂 I definitely prefer T3, but that might also have to do with the fact that the nozzle on by Babyliss dryer has to be held on with duct tape. I have heard lots of good things about CHI but have yet to try their dryers/flat irons. I’m still living in a time when my styling tools were free samples and will wait until they die before dishing out close to $200 for a dryer. I hope that didn’t sound grumpy – I’m typing it with a smile.
Hi Kim,
Seriously? Styling tools were free samples?!?!
We used to trade with the other manufacturers and one of our rep groups also repped Conair and T3. They were both very accommodating about the free stuff (and we never abused it). I sort of feel like I’m channeling Edith Bunker at the piano, but “those were the days!”. 🙂
Oh that is my favorite cartoon ever!
I went to a school for the gifted and I can’t tell you how many times I have done dumb stuff like that!
Your hair looks wonderfully smooth- I will have to see if it works in the Florida humidity!
Haha, I loved that cartoon. Gary Larson was great. Thanks for the laugh.
I love your makeup look in this picture!!! You look soooo pretty! :):)
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Karen, that was my favorite ever cartoon, I never missed a newspaper with my Gary Larson in it, plus I have all his toon books ! Midvale school for the gifted is my all time favorite, I still use it every time I see someone do the opposite when trying to enter or exit a door. My second fave was “Giorgio Armani at home” & “The real reason dinosaurs became extinct”. It’s so good to see a pic from him again.
KAREN! I love your lip color! What is it?
Don’t have an opinion on the hairdryer, but LURVE the reference to The Far Side! One of my fondest memories in middle school involved an entire class of us reading two Far Side compilations, only to have our History teacher walk in and say, “Put. The Far Side. Books. Away.”
(And for some weird reason, this was the moment where I decided that I was in love with said History teacher. Who in all fairness was cute and funny, but: still, yikes.)
Also, I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate those impenetrable plastic packages with the fire of a thousand suns. Especially the part where I use the scissors to cut around, and the whole thing still won’t open up. HATE.
The Far Side rules. Do you remember the one where the female gorilla is cleaning the male gorilla’s fur and she says, “I see you’ve been hanging out with that Jane Goodall tramp”? LOLOL
I also like the one where there’s a bunch of penguins and the one penguin jumps up out of the crowd and says, “I gotta be me!”
Ok… I know I’m adding to the convo a tad late, so I haven’t had a chance to read all the post but I had to comment!
Why is that all our favorite toys are so impossible to open!!! I love hair appliance, it’s bad enough I can’t just plug that bad boy in my car and on top of it, it’s a mission to even get it open. I was cracking up because just the other day it took about the same 10 minutes as you, to open my curling iron.
FYI… Marshalls and TJ Maxx are the BEST places to purchase pro appliances. PROMISE! It totally goes against the hairstylist code but I send my clients to go there all the time.
How does this hair dryer compare to the T3 one? This one is on sale at Trade Secrets for $80… I’d love to try it out, but their return policy is exchange only! Is it worth the risk?