By Patrick Avenell

SYDNEY, NSW: It was a surreal moment: not unlike when Steve Jobs announces the latest magical product from Apple, the release of Remington’s 2011 women’s hair care appliance range was greeted with applause, oohs and ahhs, and general acclaim at the Ivy in Sydney last night.

Although Current.com.au remained unmoved by the release – we try to stay impartial for all brands and products – it could not be denied that the assembled reporters from the various women’s mags were very enthusiastic about the features, performance and price points of the line-up.

The focus for this briefing was the new Remington Pearl hair straightener. The centrepiece of this product is the dual coated plates: in which pearl is combines with ceramic, to create a smoother glide, according to senior product manager Karen Markby.

The key features of this new straighter are its fast heat up time (10 seconds), 235° Celsius maximum temperature and a display in the handset to monitor the exact temperature of the plates. Markby further stressed that the Pearl can regain the desired temperature quicker than previous models after being run through the hair.

Further adding to the Remington Pearl straightener’s appeal is its new packaging. The product comes in a shoebox-style pack, of which the lid can be inverted to display the straightener on the shelf. There is no bubble wrapping, so consumers can touch and feel the display product, before taking the lightweight box to the counter for payment.

Remington presented a number of slides that showed how the Pearl had out-performed the GHD Mark IV in testing. So many slides, in fact, that the launch almost descended into a sledge at GHD, rather than a promotion for the Remington product itself. Regardless, the biggest cheer for the Pearl was reserved for its price point, with an audible gasp of delight greeting Markby’s announcement that this product was RRP $133.

Also launched yesterday was a new Curler model: the Tribal Tongs (CI555). This is a titanium-coated conical barrel that can heat up in 30 seconds to enable users to create salon-quality curls at home, according to Melbourne hairdresser Joey Scandizzo. This product is available in pink and purple for RRP $53.

The third major release was the Remington Hot Brush styler (CB65A45). According to the product release, this unit can create “big, sexy, full-bodied hair” as seen on catwalks. The brush can heat up to 180° Celsius in 30 seconds. The curl release button has been included to prevent hair becoming caught in the brush during the unfurling. This product is RRP $43.

The new Remington range is available in October 2010.