January 10, 2008

Sana Excel Spring Power 3D Curler Limited Edition Glitter Pink Version Review

I got myself a Shu curler this past Summer and every since after I haven’t gone back to another curler (read about the first time I became smitten with the Shu curler by clicking here!).

I’ve been through many curlers and none have worked as well as my Shu! But the Excel Spring Power Curler did tempt me with it’s allure of Limited Edition Pink Glitteryiness (is that even a word?).

When I seen it on the Sana website with the Excel Christmas Collection I knew I had to have it. It was cute, it was compact, and it had something important called “Spring Power”. My god it sure did sound amazing! I love Excel cosmetics so anything else this great brand puts out must be fantastic right? Wrong.

Where as the Shu is long, slick, and easy to handle the Excel is more compact which actually isn’t a problem at all. It fits very comfortably in my hand and my fingers slip right in, nice and snug in the handle. The size as far as I can see isn’t a problem at all and I was quite excited about how very tiny it was and how great it fit into my hand. This was surely a sign of wonderful things to come, sadly not! Now the beauty of the Shu curler is it fits the contour of my eye perfectly without pinching, tugging, or just general ouch! The Excel, to my horror, pinches like a lobster (I think I lost a few eyelashes somewhere along the way!!!!). Ow! It doesn’t fit well along the contour of my eye and it almost seems as if it isn’t catching all my lashes plus I have to sort of sit and maneuver it around my lashes and eye, I feel like I’m doing a puzzle and the piece isn’t fitting so I have to sit and jiggle it in. When I finally do have it fitted correctly to my eye and squeeze down I get a really harsh pinch! Ugh!

Now the entire idea of a spring back on the handle seemed interesting although I’ve figured out it’s somewhat pointless! When I use my Shu curler I hold down for a few and I’m ready! With the Excel the point of having a “springing” action in the handle seems just to make life more difficult. The urge of the handle to pop right back after making contact with your lashes is instant which leads to a problem of waiting a few for the curl to set in so to speak. If you curl your lashes you must know what I mean! Squeeze once and yes of course your lashes do curl up but the handle snaps back really quickly and holding it down is a bit tricky and tiresome due to the “spring”. I like to hold the curler down for a minute to let the curl set in a little bit. This is especially important if you’re using a curl keeper spray for your curler like I do (if you aren’t familiar with curl keeper it’s an Asian product, it’s not available in the US as far as I know, that you spray on your curler and it holds the curl of your lashes, almost like hairspray for your eyelashes).

My next gripe would be with the curler pad. It’s not a soft foam sadly. It’s more like a plastic piece and it’s hard and it hurts. I think the pinching not only comes from the fact that this isn’t fitting my eye correctly but also from the hardness of the pad!

Overall, if the promise of a spring powered curler and the delights of pink and glitter have blinded you and you felt the urge to purchase this I’d say you’re better off skipping. This is only cost me about 800 yen I believe so it didn’t break the bank too much! Take your money and buy a Shu curler you’ll be happier! If you’re planning on purchasing this I’ve seen it range from $12.50-$16 USD at Asian online shops so that indeed would be major money lost as at that price you can just buy a high end curler!

The weird thing is I believe this is a best seller for Sana but me it’s just money not spent too well!

11 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Row

    Musey!

    Yes I have this curler and yes, you are so right about the springyness.

    I have about six curlers. My favs are Shu, and Shiseido, Nice and firm and never pinch.

    This SANA one is really really springy so it almost hurts a bit if u put it too close to the root as you cant be sure how much it is going to pull at the root?

    All in all not worth it. Jill Stuart really pinches. Overall I love my 24k Shu. Because being gold plated makes suchhhh a difference.. 😛 But seriously, Shiseido is better as its wide and never pinches. 😀

  • Taryn

    Thank you, Muse, for saving me some money! I was thisclose to putting it into my basket on JPMon (just got my 2nd order the other day!). It sounds like a nightmare and my lashes are already a little bare in this one spot. They sometimes shed a bit and definitely wouldn’t benefit from a guillotine lash curler like this!

  • the Muse

    Rows! 😉

    I’ve been using a Sephora one for years until finally purchasing a Shu and I adore it!

    Exactly. When I get super close to the lashline it hurts horribly! Ouch!

    I’m so glad you said that as I was on the verge of purchasing JS one. The curl dangling bit kinda sold me on it lol! LOL I want the gold Shu! Where’d ya get it!?

    Shiseido is better then the Shu one? Hmmmm no kid! I may need one 🙂

    Love ya!

  • the Muse

    Hi Taryn!

    I’m so glad you didn’t buy this! It’s really a killer on the lashes! OUCH!

    LOL you addict 😉 you!

    btw have you shopped with good dealer before? That’s a good place to get items too. It’s somewhat ok with prices.

    Many of my friends have really delicate lashes, I myself don’t suffer from that problem, this would be a nightmare product for them! It seriously yanks a hair or two right out!

    It reminds me of that head gear contraption from the Saw movie!

    Hurts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Haru

    Hi dear,

    I’m not a big fan of the Excel curler too although they’ve sold more than a million of it in Japan. The hard plastic curler pad was what put me off as I felt like it was pinching my lashes and giving them a hard crimp rather than a gentle curl. The effect did last quite long on me though and that was the only thing I liked about it.

    Shu Uemura has worked the best for me although I’m not actually using it at the moment. I’m using Jill Stuart which is super adorable both in terms of the rosy pink color and the dangly charm but the curl that it gives my lashes is not as dramatic or long-lasting as Shu.

  • the Muse

    Hi Iris!
    *squeeze* *hug*

    Me either. It’s now on my top list of awful! It hurts horribly. I tried it a few times to convince myself that maybe I wasn’t giving it a chance but it’s just painful! It’s too cute but does nothing in the way of curling more like tugging out hehe!

    I must say the JS was definately on my list of wants but obviously it’s a no go with all the poor feedback! Cute is nice but if it doesn’t work I might save my $ for something else!

    Hugs to you my friend!

  • Citrine

    Thank you for posting this, I almost spend 20 buck (inclduing s/h on ebay ) for this just because the pink one is way too cute…now I think I am heading toward the maquillage one…

  • the Muse

    hiya citrine.

    Lovie save your money. I didn’t love this at all. Like you, all that pink really tempted me but it’s a piece of crap.

    Best stick to a shu 😉 I haven’t tried the maquillage one but it’s bound to be better than this. This is one big OUCH!

  • sam

    where did you buy this from … i cant it online in alot of places?

    • the Muse

      hi sam a friend got this from Japan for me a few years ago. The LE version isn’t available anymore.

  • conn

    hi hun,
    thx for the blog, but ive heard alot of great reviews about this product. where can i order this from, is it available in north america/>