Eat*Drink*Cleveland

A hungry girl's adventures in Cleveland and beyond.

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Just about a month ago, one of my favorite and most stylish bloggers, Kimberly from Smitten...in Cleveland, let me in on a little secret. In the past we've had lots of conversations about our hair care woes (curly! frizzy!) and I've commented repeatedly on her gorgeous hair. She claims she has crazy hair but I've never seen it. She said that she has been using new styling tools and it's made a huge difference in her hair care routine.

I have pretty good hair in theory, but it's very misbehaved. The curls are easily transformed into a frizzy 'fro when the humidity is high. Plus my hair is super dry. I baby it and am always looking for products and tools that will help me tame the wildness without damaging it. 

Food may be my thing, but I'm absolutely obsessed with hair, makeup and beauty products. My bathroom looks like spa with all the products and tools. Kimberly knows very well that even if we aren't all fashionistas, we ALL want to have great hair so she invited me to a dream come true hair event. The One Styling team was having a blogger event at Spa West in Westlake. I have always wanted to see Spa West in person because it gets such rave reviews. Plus, we were going to have professionals use some new tools on us and show us how to do our hair. Yep, you read that right. What girl doesn't love getting pro tips to make the most of our unruly tresses? I could hardly wait!

I was so excited I arrived early. Kimberly and I chatted and I could hardly contain my excitement as we went inside. Spa West doesn't look very impressive from the outside, but once you enter you are transported to another world. It is plush yet understated. They offer everything from hair care to facials to yoga and it's the definitely the nicest spa I've been to in Cleveland. Spa West was the perfect location to learn about the cutting edge technology offered by One Styling. 

We gathered in a sitting room and sipped on some champagne with strawberries...
Here's some of the appetizers from Brio that we noshed on...

Margherita Flatbread: Fresh Mozzarella, vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh basil.

BBQ Chicken Flatbread with spicy chipotle BBQ sauce, blackened chicken, smoked Gouda, seared yellow peppers, green onions, Feta and cilantro.

Crab & Shrimp Cakes: Lump crab and shrimp with creamy horseradish and arugula, tossed with herb vinaigrette

I had never eaten there before because I'm normally avoiding chains but the food was really tasty, especially the pizzas.
Kate and Charlene ready to get styled
As we were eating, we learned about One Styling and their new line of styling appliances. They have created the next generation of styling tools with advanced features that really set them apart from the competition. Their tools work for all hair types and textures and help everyone look their best.

Each blogger was paired up with a professional stylist. We all discussed our hair types and styling issues and the stylists went to work. Curls were everywhere and we were all amazed at how the stylists were able to create the curls using the flat irons. They have beveled edges which really makes a great curl - no more unwanted crimps! See for yourself how easy it is:
It really is as easy as it looks in the video! I've successfully created curls using this exact tool and method with great results. To compare I also tried the technique with my Chi flat iron and found that the tool used really does make a huge difference. No more Chi for me!
Kate with her curls!!
Dina getting curls
Allison pre-concert styling

Kimberly during and after - glamorous!
Nadine's gorgeous hair
Julie glammed up...
...and sassy
Lauren from Fashionably Cleveland
me, Julie and Kimberly

Happy Birthday to Nadine's Mom - what a great way to spend your special night!
Not only did the One Styling team teach us some tricks and make us look gorgeous, they provided us with the most generous of swag bags! We each got a huge bag overflowing with their incredible tools: 
Heat Mat


Thank you to One Styling and Kimberly for inviting me to this awesome event!
 Josh, Joe Kim and Les Haverty
Afterwards, we were WAY too pretty to just go home so we decided to head to Menchie's. Julie and Kimberly are obsessed with this place and I had never been so we thought it would be the perfect way to end our evening.
I've never been a big fro yo fan - my tastes lean more toward gelato or Jeni's, but the ability to mix in your own toppings piqued my interest. I was amazed at all the choices! While my dear friends went for sugar overload with cereal, gummy bears, sprinkles and M+M's, I loaded up my peanut butter yogurt with Oreo crumbles, pretzels, nuts and bananas - so good! The only thing missing was hot fudge.
It was such a great way to end the most amazing night! 

Ever since the event, I've been so busy (remember my Film Fest obsession?) I hadn't had nearly enough time to play with my new toys. I wanted to try them all at home with no help before reviewing them so you would have a realistic opinion of them. Stylists have years of experience and skills that I lack so I was wondering if I could recreate the hair magic of that night. Was it the stylist that made an average tool rock or was there something special about the tools themselves?
                            
Since then, I have used all the tools and absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE them! My hair looks better and it takes less time to do it. The hair dryer cut my dry time in half and I have no frizz after using it. It's loaded with specialty features, some of which are pure genius: you can switch from positive ions (blue) to create volume and negative ions (green) for sleekness! 

My favorite tools are the Verge Bubble Wand and the Epic Flat IronThe Bubble Wand makes the best curls! Because of the bumps and grooves, the curls vary in size and aren't too fussy looking. And it's idiot proof! It has a cool tip and spring-loaded clamp to make things hassle-free. I literally can curl my thick shoulder length hair in 10 minutes tops.  
The Flat Iron is equally easy and fast. It reaches temps of up to 450 degrees plus it has Heat Boost Technology that maintains the temperature as you pull the iron through your hair.  It glides through my hair and makes it glossy. I can't tell you how many people have commented on my hair since I started using these products. 

Check out Dina's review of the Curl Styx here. They are so much easier than using a curling iron and comes with 3 sized rods and a convenient storage/travel bag.  

These products are not cheap, but you definitely get what you pay for. The quality is top notch, plus with all the advanced features, they keep your hair healthier and looking great.

And One Styling has a special offer for all my blog readers, you can get 35% off AND free shipping when placing your order by using Coupon Code EAT35. They are also throwing in a free heat mat valued at $20. This deal is valid though April 30th. 

I can't think of a better way to use some of that tax refund, can you?

* In full disclosure, I was invited to participate in the hair event and provided the generous bag of styling products from OneStyling. As always, the opinions expressed are genuine and my own *