VS Sassoon Steam Straight Brilliance

I knew I was in for an experience when I opened the box. Beautifully packaged. I was slightly intimidated with 'what bit went where' initially but a quick read of the instructions and it was super easy. Very clever that it automatically fills and refills itself from the water reservoir when needed. Loved the one touch button for steam, or not if you didn't want steam, and that you could increase the temperature of the straightener. Very useful during humid months then a bit more heat to straighten is required and my hair is thick. Also great though as a quick 'touch up' on a lower heat to help protect your hair. The plates are a good width which makes doing your hair faster and overall they are not too heavy. On my last trip to the hairdresser I had asked him how he gets my hair so sleek because with my GHD's I just can't get it like that and his secret was to straighten my hair went it was almost, but not quite dry. And that's exactly what this product does. By adding the steam it gives a fast, lasting straighten that keeps your hair feeling hydrated, then, and over the following days which is when I find the ends of straightened hair go dry. I am genuinely blown away. Usually I would only use straighteners twice a month to preserve my hair from drying out, over the last 2 weeks I have used Steam Straight Brilliance 3 times and my hair feels fantastic. Not only is it quick to do but its lasts days without needed a straightener 'top up'. I just love it. Salon hair at home and so, so easy. In fact, not just a home but it can go anywhere with you. My new look for summer is straight!

Oh boy was I excited when I got invited to this trial. Thanks so much BR for the opportunity! I eagerly checked the doorstep each day and when I saw a box sitting there I ripped into it like a kid at Christmas. It comes in a sturdy box which has heaps of information on it. Inside is the straightener, instruction manual, a little turkey baster looking gadget and a heat resistant glove.

A little bit about my hair, it is very long and I would say semi thick. I have been dying it for over 20 years so it is a bit dry and is definitely frizzy. I also have a natural wave, I usually use Ghd's which do a pretty good job but they are about 5 years old now so I feel are getting less effective.

I actually never read the instructions for anything but I had to for this as I didn't know what I was doing. First off there is a separate water reservoir which you fill up, it suctions onto the surface so it doesn't move. Then you align the straightener onto it and it fills the bottom with water and it is ready to use the steam function, when the water runs out you simply place the straightener back on and it refills it.

You can also fill up the straightener directly using the little turkey baster, there is a small reservoir on the bottom. I have used it this way which is good but you have to fill it a few times if you have long hair as it runs out fast so it is probably easier filling up the freestanding reservoir and less fiddly.

The buttons are on the inside so you need to turn it on then press the steam button and select the temperature, I use it on 180° then it is ready to go when the light stops flashing. It heats up super fast....I'd say 10 seconds which is awesome. There is one glove to protect against heat. I kinda feel like Michael Jackson wearing this and I actually broke out into a song the first time I put it on lol good times.

It is much bigger than my Ghd's so it took me a little bit to get used to plus the glove was making it slippery so I ended up putting it on the other hand. I probably won't bother with the glove much. The first time I used it I wanted to really give it a hard test....my hair had been in a braid the day before so when I brushed it I turned it into a frizzy, curly mess. I thought no way it would make it straight.

I sectioned my hair and started at the front and omg it made it poker straight! I could not believe my eyes! Not only was it straight but super shiny. Pretty impressive indeed! Continued below.....

First off, I am in LOVE with this straightener. This steam straightener is absolutely fantastic. I have very thick, slightly wavy hair which can be very stubborn when straightening. With the steam functionality of this straightener I have found that my hair instantly starts to straighten and I only have to run it over my hair one or two times for the desired result I'm looking for. The steam function is fantastic and so easy to refill. Just putting it kn the stand and pressing down, it fills up within seconds and is ready to go. I have also used this straightener without the steam function and it is absolutely amazing. It dry straightens amazingly and so quickly. I only need two or three passes for the required result. It doesn't pull my hair and none of my hair gets stuck around the plates like I have experienced with other straighteners I have used. I love that it comes with a glove for safety and also a water dropper to fill up the water attachment if you need. I find my hair stays straight for a lot longer after using this straightener than my past ones. It also seems to take longer for my hair to feel oily which has been a fantastic. My hair feels a lot softer than normal and it doesn't get frizzy at all untill the next time I straighten it or wash it. I can't find anything about this Steam Straightener that I don't like. It's design is lovely to hold and I haven't burnt myself at all. The sleek design and rose gold and black colour is gorgeous. The long power cord makes it super easy to use around my bedroom and I'm not confined to one small area. The stand it comes with where you fill it with water is amazing to have so you can put if down without the worry of it falling or moving. It's a great safety feature. It heats up to the desired temp sure quickly so there's hardly any wait time to start using and as I've stated, it straightnes my hair so fast that my morning and hair routine is much faster and as a mother that is absolutely fantastic. I loved the packaging it came in also, lovely pictures and heaps of helpful information about this straightener. The foam inside is a good touch, makes you feel confident that it has been well cared for with in transit to the shop or couriered to your door. Also if you are traveling you'll know it's safe.

I was fortunate enough to be able to trial this straightener and let me just start off by saying that, as a regular GHD product user, I am now converted!

First impressions, opening the box, was that the VS Sassoon Steam Straight Brilliance is a very sleek looking straightener that I would happily leave out on my make-up area counter. The colours and pretty and the design is very appealing to the eye.

After thoroughly reading through the directions, I was a bit concerned it was going to take some time to set up but that proved wrong and set-up was nice and quick and easy. The water reservoir was easy to fill and, once you set the straightener on, it fills with water quickly. I've got mid-back length hair and didn't need to refill the straightener at all before my hair was done.

As someone with quite frizzy and curly hair, one of the things that impressed me most was that the straightener actually fulfilled it's promise that you only need one pass per section of hair. Even with my GHD straightener, sometimes a section will require multiple passes before it stays straight. The wide plates were great and it really only took about 10-15 minutes to get my hair looking very smooth and straight - love a good time saver!

The most impressive thing to me, in the end, was that (probably thanks to the steam) my ends, which can often get quite frizzy or look split at the end of straightening, looked smooth and healthy and I didn't feel the need to have to curl or smooth them with serums! The detangling comb was also a very helpful attachment for achieving that smooth look.

Overall, I'm extremely impressed with the product (and so thankful I got to be a part of this trial) and will definitely be using this as my primary straightener from now on. My hair stayed mostly frizz-free until my next hair-wash day, even surviving a windy day on a boat and the beach (which usually re-curls my hair). I cannot recommend this product enough for those who have generally unmanageable frizzy/curly hair.