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India News | Punjab Police Arrest 5 Gang Members in Tarn Taran, Seize Arms and AmmunitionIf you have even the faintest interest in the world of beauty, and don’t live under a rock, then you’ll have heard of the Dyson Airwrap. The iconic hair tool was launched in 2018 and has since become a cult favourite among beauty lovers – so much so that there has been a slew of similar tools launched to the market, from Beauty Works to fellow hoover brand Shark. Featuring multiple attachments that fit one barrel, it is famed for its ability to style hair from wet to dry in a matter of seconds. But ingeniously, it uses airflow technology rather than heat, making it easier on your hair. And the air suction means using it is surprisingly effortless: no more fighting with a curling iron, getting tangled up in the wire or burning your fingers on the hot end. I first became aware of the Airwrap around 2021. Endless TikToks of smug women producing a mass of bouncing, glossy ringlets, one after the other, in a matter of seconds, was enough to convince me: I want one and I want one now. One thing has stopped me, however, from taking the plunge: The price. The standard edition, with five attachments, costs a cool £480. Admittedly, at the time of writing, it is on sale for £400. But that’s still about £300 more than I am willing to pay for a hair tool. Luckily, there is a way you can try out the Airwrap without parting with what is almost my total monthly rent payment. At their Trafford Centre store, you can get your hair done by one of their stylists for £35. So one chilly evening I decided to brave the Christmas crowds and head down to try it out, on one of the last remaining December appointments. Inside the Dyson salon at the Trafford Centre store. (Image: Manchester Evening News) I stepped inside the spacious store where a friendly assistant led me through to the back, through throngs of husbands and boyfriends loitering by the Airwrap display and eyeing it nervously. The salon area was a temple to all things Airwrap. The walls were studded with every iteration of the tool, plus all its attachments, and Dyson’s other hair tools: the Airstraight straightener (£450) and the Supersonic hairdryer (£400). Airwraps and other hair tools on the wall inside the Dyson salon. (Image: Manchester Evening News) I sat down on a comfy chair in front of a mirror lit by glowing LEDs. The stakes were admittedly high – as luck would have it, the only appointment I could get was on the day of the M.E.N’s Christmas party. But I felt confident, and more than anything, curious to see what this raved-about tool would actually do for my hair. A word on my hair: this is what I arrived at the salon looking like. Most nights I use a dressing gown cord to curl it overnight, which has always worked well for me. My hair is naturally quite wavy, so it holds a curl pretty well, but is also – no matter what I do – determinedly flat. How my hair looked before leaving the house. (Image: Manchester Evening News) I said as much to the Dyson stylist. After consulting on what I wanted – “curls and volume, please” – we got started. Following a stint at the wash station, where I was lathered up with Aveda products (and got the best head massage I have ever had; he scrubbed at my scalp like he was doing the washing-up) we were back in the chair and ready to get started with the tools. First, the stylist got started with the Dryer+Flyaway smoother and a good old-fashioned round brush. But before beginning, he applied some hair product. Fine with me – I use heat protectant myself before blow drying at home. This was no ordinary argan oil, though, but Dyson’s own Pre-Style Cream, containing chitosan, apparently derived from oyster mushrooms. There is also a post-style serum, both priced at £49 per 100ml bottle. “The serum uses the natural structure of the mushrooms to give hold and structure, but without the crunch of hairspray,” the stylist told me. I nodded sagely. Dyson's line of hair products. (Image: Manchester Evening News) Next, we moved to the soft smoothing brush: essentially no different to an ordinary hairbrush, except with hot air blowing through it. After carefully dividing my hair into sections, he put this brush to work on my roots, dragging it upwards and through my hair but stopping just before the ends, as we were leaving these damp for curling with the air wrap. This stage went on for a good ten minutes. I have to say that the stylist was excellent: very friendly and a complete professional throughout, careful and attentive with every lock of my hair. There was no-one else in the salon and I felt completely looked after, and diligently attended-to. After the smoothing brush, it was time for the star of the show, the airwrap itself. I watched in fascination as the stylist brought the device close to a lock of hair which, as if pulled by magnets, wrapped itself around the barrel. He left it curled around the barrel for about fifteen seconds, before giving it a blast of cold air, which is supposed to help set the curl (you can programme this to your liking in the Dyson app, with newer models). Every lock was curled and then pinned (Image: Manchester Evening News) When released, it produced a gentle, slightly wispy-looking curl, which the stylist tickled up by twirling it round a few times more. He pinned up each lock and proceeded to do the same to my whole head. The process took a further 20 minutes or so and by the end I looked like someone out of a 50s magazine. Another ten minutes later, with all the pinned curls taken down and teased out, I was initially impressed with the result. I’m not used to having so much volume, body and movement to my hair, and I liked the look, especially the back of my hair, where there were definite Hollywood-esque, bouncy curls. How my hair looked after the stylist was finished - timestamped at 6:03pm (Image: Manchester Evening News) How my hair looked after the stylist was finished - timestamped at 6:04pm (Image: Manchester Evening News) But the problem became apparent as soon as I raised my hand to my head. My hair felt sticky and weighed down – almost matted – by the amount of product applied to it. How were the curls supposed to last when the serums had made my hair so slick-feeling and heavy? It might have looked great in photos, but look at my roots and you’ll see that already (half an hour after being washed) they look grainy, stringy and almost – dare I say it – greasy. Within another half an hour, the curls had sadly all fallen out, and the ends of my hair looked a straggly mess. By the time I got home, apart from a slight wave, you could barely tell I had had my hair done whatsoever. By 6:58pm, this was how my hair looked (Image: Manchester Evening News) I didn’t say any of this to the hair stylist, of course. I paid, thanked him effusively and quite honestly for his time and effort. Even though I was less than satisfied with the results, it had been a thoroughly enjoyable experience being pampered by someone who clearly knew what he was doing and was an attentive, skilful stylist. But I can’t help but think the style the Airwrap created was better suited to be photographed, not lived in. The second I took my hair out of the sterile environment and into the real world – the second I touched it, in fact – the cracks began to show. I can’t speak to others’ experiences of the Airwrap. I’m sure some people love it. Maybe it helps if you have finer hair; maybe it helps if you use less product. But if you’re paying nearly £500 for a hair tool, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for the results to last longer than half an hour. That’s something that even a £30 curling iron can achieve – and for all the Airwrap's advanced technology, it still couldn’t quite manage it on me.
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Report blasts NYPD unit aimed at quality of life issues for its secretive stanceAt a time when the (ASX: XJO) is close to all-time highs, it may be challenging to find compelling stocks at compelling values. Luckily, fund managers from Wilson Asset Management have pointed out two ASX shares that are growing rapidly and look compelling. The investment team that manages the ( ), are looking for stocks that are "the most compelling growth opportunities in the Australian market". In a recent update to investors, WAM nominated two that are seeing double-digit financial growth in percentage terms, giving them a strong outlook. Let's look at those two ideas below. Block Inc CDI ( ) WAM described Block as a business that offers a range of financial services and products, including Square, which helps businesses process transactions and achieve their growth aspirations. It has been a good time to own Block shares in recent times. The Block share price has risen more than 33% since the start of November 2024, as shown on the chart above. Some of those gains came after Block revealed its for the three months to September 2024. That update showed that grew by 19% year over year to US$2.25 billion. The ASX share's profit margins increased, with adjusted operating profit ( ) growing by 69% year over year, which was stronger than the market was expecting. WAM explained why it remains bullish on the payments company: We continue to expect Block to outperform its initial gross profit guidance for 2024 with a strong outlook for 2025 and also see a chance that the company enters the S&P 500 Index in the United States. Gentrack Group Ltd ( ) The other ASX growth share that WAM highlighted was Gentrack, a technology provider to many of the world's largest energy and water companies, as well as airports. The Gentrack share price has been on an incredible run this year, rising by 105% in 2024 to date, as shown on the chart above. It climbed more than 40% in November alone following the release of its for the 12 months to 30 September 2024. Gentrack's FY24 report included revenue growth of 25.5% thanks to strong growth in both the utilities and airports divisions, which beat market expectations. WAM revealed why its investment team is still positive on the ASX tech share: We remain positive on Gentrack Group and the outlook for the company and believe the company's strong cash position can allow the business to make earnings accretive acquisitions. Time will tell whether these positive outlooks translate into further investment gains.Is This Stock the Next Big Thing After Its Incredible Surge?
