Review: HANA Titanium 1.5" Flat Iron

So as most of you guys know I have incredibly thick and curly hair. I can probably count on one hand how many times I have straightened my hair in the last two years because it is honestly just such a pain to do that I don't usually bother. I have had a CHI straightener for years and always thought it was pretty good. That was until a few months ago.

The lovely folks over at Misikko contacted me and asked if I would be interested in trying out and reviewing the HANA Titanium 1.5" Flat Iron. I jumped at the chance as I had seen several bloggers test out HANA products and all had given them rave reviews. I was definitely interested to see what the HANA flat iron would do to my tangled locks.

It arrived all packed up with other goodies, which was very exciting. And everything was arranged so beautifully. I almost didn't want to take it all out! There's definitely a lot of care put into each order, which I find really impressive.

The HANA flat iron came in it's own beautiful little tin box that is great for storage and inside of that is a nice case that is perfect for storing the flat iron for travel. It also came with a heat proof silicone mat, which I absolutely love. I don't really like to stand at my vanity and straighten my hair, I prefer to sit on the floor in front of my full length mirror, and this mat let's me do that easily. It's incredibly handy.

The HANA Titanium flat iron's heat settings range from 140-450 F. The Titanium plates are intriguingly mirror-like and definitely like nothing I've ever seen on a flat iron. I cranked it up to the highest setting to work on my thick, curly hair and it heated up quickly and stayed consistently hot while I straightened my hair. I was shocked to see how quickly the flat iron did it's job! To straighten all of my hair it only took about 20 minutes…. HALF the time it usually takes to straighten my hair with any other flat iron.

The first time I used this iron to straighten my hair it was raining outside and I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going to get to show off my beautifully straightened hair. I went about my day and when I got home I was prepared for the frizzy mess that is usually my hair after a rainy day. I was SHOCKED to see that my hair was still straight and relatively frizz free. SOLD.

As if that's not enough, another cool feature of this flat iron is that you can curl while you straighten. So instead of stick straight hair, you can curl the ends and everything looks much more natural and soft. I really love that feature.

Check out the result for your self (and excuse the awkward faces I'm making):

Before | Straightened with the HANA | Straightened & Curled with the HANA

So overall I have nothing but good things to say about this product. It actually makes me want to straighten my hair, which as I said before is really saying something. Thanks again to Misikko for sending me this wonderful HANA flat iron to try out.

If you guys are interested in HANA products (they make blow dryers and styling products, too) definitely check out Misikko's website, they were a great company to work with and if I'm ever in the market for another hair styling tool, I will definitely be stopping at their site first.

Disclosure: I was given the opportunity to review the Hana Titanium Flat Iron from Misikko. All statements and opinions expressed here are my own. I was not compensated in any other way.

The Votes Are in: 7 Items for 5 Outfits

And your votes are in! Check out which items won and what items I added to the mix. The vote for the pants was really close the pair that was chosen only one by one vote and the other two pairs were tied for second!



It should be fun to remix these items (and I promise I will iron that skirt before I wear it!). I'd love to hear some suggestions on what you think I should pair together!

7 Items of Clothing to Create 5 Outfits [Cast Your Vote!]

Wow. It's been a really long time. Over a month in fact. Life has been insane is really my only excuse for the fact that I took an unexpected month+ long break from blogging. And once I was away it was really hard to get back in the grove. That said I've definitely missed it, and I thought about my blog often when I wasn't blogging. Which I guess is a sign that I do actually enjoy blogging. I know one thing, I've missed you guys.

I will say that my posts are going to stay rather infrequent and I will by no means be going back to being a full on style blogger... I just don't feel like that's me as much as it used to be. I did some thinking about my blog while I wasn't posting and I thought about what made me most excited to post and to engage and over and over again I kept coming back to times that I did mini personal challenges (Dress Remix and Top Remix). So I thought about it some more and landed on a new challenge and something that I have always enjoyed seeing in magazines. I'm going to use 7 items of clothing to create 5 outfits (shoes and accessories are free game). Additionally I know that I enjoy getting your input, and I think you guys enjoy it more too, when you have a say in what I remix. Sooooo... I'm going to let you choose 3 of the 7 items I'll be using! So without further ado let's check out your options!

A Vintage | B Ann Taylor Factory Outlet | C H&M



A Jessica Simpson (Blue Denim) | B Jessica Simpson (Black) | C Joe's Jeans



A Dear Creature | B Dorothy Perkins | C Forever21

Now that you've seen the choices... let me know which three should be added to my 7 items. You'll have until Friday, March 9, 2012 at 11:59pm to cast your vote.

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED.

OOTD: Red Pants Have Finally Arrived

I cannot tell you how long I have been on the hunt for the perfect pair of red skinnies. I even bought one pair only to return them because I got them home and didn't like the shade of red and as always they were way too long and I didn't want to have to pay for a tailor to shorten them. So when I saw that FINALLY Jessica Simpson has come out with colored pants (I promised myself it was only a matter of time before she got on the bandwagon and when she did I would pounce.) I almost squealed in delight in the middle of Belk. I obviously snatched them up in my size and ran to the dressing room.

Now I generally wear a short in her jeggings, but since these are meant to be cropped and cuffed on a tall person, uncuffing them and putting them on someone my height (5'2" if you're wondering) meant they fit like regular skinnies. I didn't even hesitate. I bought them without a second thought. And I am in love. They fit just the way I like skinny jeans to fit, they are simple and sturdy, and they are the exact right shade I was looking for. I'm so content. And yes I did just spend two whole paragraphs talking about one pair of pants.





And how about these shoes?! I was also hunting a new pair of black flats since I finally had to admit that mine were unwearable. (When you have to quarantine your shoes when you take them off... it's time to let them go.) And I just couldn't resist these beauties. I've worn them 4 out of the 7 days since I bought them...





Top: Talbots
Blazer: LOFT
Pants: Jessica Simpson (here)
Shoes: Vince Camuto (here)
Necklace: Jewelmint
Nail Polish: Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect Color + Care (Air)

On Youtube: Vlogging in Roanoke

So I made a youtube channel (you should subscribe), and I made my first vlog as well. Get ready for the most ridiculous vlog ever and proof that I am in fact southern. Enjoy?



And let me know if you think I should vlog about other things and if so what you think I should vlog about!

13 Things to Do Before 2013

So I want to start incorporating more of my life into my blog. I feel like it has been very one dimensional for the last two years... or two dimensional at best. The first toe I'm dipping in the pool is to introduce to you my 13 things to do before 2013. I think this is a great way to introduce more of my life and interest and stuff into my blog, but it is also a great way to hold myself accountable to my goals. Now that I've told you about them and committed to sharing my progress I can't just forget they exist. I will be updating my progress as I accomplish goals and I'm thinking quarterly, maybe monthly.... depends on how often I feel like I need to revisit them to make sure I am in fact making progress!

So without further ado... here are my
13 Things to Do Before 2013

Some of them are silly, some are simple, some are things you can't quite measure, and others are going to be a very big challenge to me. The ones that I am most worried about are the networking project, getting a new job, and giving a relationship a chance. All of those things are a little anxiety inducing for me, but I hope that my being accountable to someone else is going to help me keep on track.

I will definitely be highlighting some of these as the weeks go on, giving you a little background or information about why they made it on the list and asking for your advice, which I know will be a huge help.

So yeah there you go! I would love to hear any advice or thoughts you have on my goals, and if you've got a similar list for 2013 or like a 30 before 30 or something like that I would love it if you'd link me to your lists or tell me about them in the comments!

Daily Outfit: And So It Goes...

So I guess this is the last outfit post of the year. There haven't been a lot lately, I realize. I've been busy and frankly I'm not sure how much longer I will keep up taking pictures of my outfits on a regular basis. I'm not going to shut down the blog, I've at least decided that, but there will be some different things going on here at Pixie in Pumps as 2012 unfolds. I want to share more of my interest here instead of having it so pigeon holed as a daily style blog. What that means exactly I don't know for sure yet. I am working on a list of 13 things to do before 2013 and so I think I want to integrate that in here. Highlighting when I accomplish one of the goals and updating progress on a regular basis.

So I hope you guy hang in here with and see what 2012 brings to the blog. I really can't tell you how lucky I feel to have you guys as readers. It always brightens by day when I get a comment or a tweet or something from you guys. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for making 2011 special!







Top: Target
Sweater: Ann Taylor (here)
Jeans: Miss Sixty
Boots: Carlos by Carlos Santana
Earrings: Gift
Ring: Jewelmint (Aqua Bomb Ring)
Nail Polish: Orly (Liquid Vinyl) & Deborah Lippmann (Across the Universe)