Hello? Anybody out there?

Well, I wish I could say I'm returning from my hiatus well-rested and with renewed vigor, but phew...I'm still running on all cylinders and feeling completely knackered. BUT! I'm really missing the fun, creative outlet that is Beauty Addict! So...

Remember my enthusiastic rave over the Sedu Revolution flat iron? OMG, I loved that thing. In fact, I loved it so much that I gave away my trusty old T3 to my wild-haired cousin. That was last May.

This summer, I started noticing some funny things about the Revolution. For starters, the spot where the cord connected to the iron seemed loose. Hmmm. Possibly from all the traveling and wrapping the cord around the iron. And then...it fell out entirely! I tried securing it with electrical tape but that only held for so long. Before long I had to pop it back in with every use, and readjust it several times.

Friends, I can't tell you how many times I zapped myself when attempting to reconnect the cord with the iron (yes, with it still plugged in...working with live wires sure wakes you up in the morning!).

But I pressed on and endured the electrocution, because my love for the Revolution was Just. That. Strong.

And then! The little logo tabs on the sides just popped off. More missing parts. And finally...the whole thing just stopped working. The light would blink feebly, but the iron was destined never to heat up again.

In the words of my 6th grade science teacher, I'M NOT HAPPY (thanks, Miss Kreye). A $200 flat iron that can't even last 18 months with regular use? Full disclosure, I did not pay for it (it was sent to me for review), so I shouldn't complain so much, but still! I recommended it to all of you -- and loved it myself -- and it just couldn't stand the test of time. EPIC FAIL.

And now I'd be forced to spend some serious $$$ to replace it. So, I skipped over to Sephora to check out the offerings. ghd's irons gave me major sticker shock -- $240? Ouch. Not in this economy.

Since my hair is pretty fine, and shorter now, too, I finally decided on the T3 Mini Flat Iron. It's smaller than many of its competitors, but it really isn't that mini; it has a 1" plate, which I prefer anyway. But the price was far more palatable at $119. And it's pink, okay? That's enough to convince me.

The Mini works every bit as well as my original T3, it's pretty, and it's not $200. Now let's just hope it outlasts its predecessor!