5 best Black Friday beauty deals, sourced by a beauty tech reviewer

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One of the biggest advantages of being a beauty tech product tester is that I get to see firsthand if the latest multi-styler, hair dryer, or microcurrent device is worth the hype.

Combined with the experience of covering Black Friday deals for the past four years, I feel particularly well prepared to determine which beauty savings are actually worth picking up during the shopping holiday. Spoiler alert: not everything with a markdown is an exceptional deal. Plus, as someone with plenty of experience testing out the high-end products (aka basically Dyson’s entire lineup) against the many dupes they inspire and seeing the latter perform well in many cases, I especially advise against adding something to your cart simply because it has the higher price tag or more recognizable brand name.

With that in mind, I’ve gathered the top five beauty deals from Black Friday that I’ve spotted so far. Find my recs (and some buying advice) below:

Dyson Supersonic Nural

I’ll be the first person to say that while the Supersonic is my favorite hair tool from Dyson, it’s also probably overpriced for most people, especially with all the great dupes out there (more on that below). That said, it is a nice luxury upgrade. If you’re determined to pick one up this Black Friday, skip the $379 standard Supersonic and spend the extra $20 to get the Supersonic Nural on sale for $379. It has better variation in the attachments, automatic temperature adjustment with some attachments, and a much better (and more unique) diffuser. If you’re interested in the Nural but that sounds too expensive, you can also grab a refurbished one at Walmart for $209.

Dyson Airwrap i.d.

To be honest, I was slightly underwhelmed by the Airwrap when I first tested it out — the tech was cool, but not as easy to use as social media would have you believe. Plus, the curling barrels gave my hair more of a blown-out than truly curled look, and it fell by the end of the day. With the Dyson Airwrap i.d., the brand has addressed these issues. One of the curling barrels has a tapered design, which helped me achieve tighter, prettier, and longer-lasting curls. The other piece of the puzzle was the automatic temperature changing you can activate directly through the tool or via the Dyson app, which adjusts the heat as the hair wraps, holds around the barrel, and gets hit with the cool shot for a set amount of time. Though I anticipated it might feel gimmicky, it made styling feel way less effortful on my part.

The OG Airwrap used to go for $599 at full price, and the Airwrap i.d. is $649. However, this deal takes it down to $499.99, the same sale price found on the original Airwrap during shopping holidays (including this time around). This is still a hefty price, so if curling your hair is still a priority, I recommend checking out the T3 Aire 360 — the ceramic barrels help create and lock in curls.

Shark FlexStyle

The Shark FlexStyle is the original Airwrap dupe, and still stands out as one of the best. The performance is similar enough to the Airwrap that it’s what I tell my friends and family to buy when they ask whether or not they should buy a Dyson Airwrap. Multiple Mashable shopping reporters and editors have purchased the tool for themselves, and all of them sing its praises. The main difference between the Shark and the more expensive tool is that you won’t get the fancy heat-adjusting cycle of the Airwrap i.d., and you have to switch out the curling barrel to change the direction of the curl. (Though as a tip, you can just flip the styler upside down to easily change the direction of the curl without changing the barrel.) For $199, it’s by far the best value multi-styler. And if you want a more curated version, Shark is also offering the build-your-own model, which allows you to pick four attachments for $179.

Laifen Swift hair dryer

Remember what I said about Dyson Supersonic dupes being worth a look? Enter: the Laifen Swift SE, one of the best Dyson dupes I’ve tried. It’s lightweight, powerful, relatively quiet (as far as hair dryers go), and hasn’t crapped out on me after years of use. And at the sale price of $97.99, it’s a fraction of the cost of the Supersonic. It comes with basic attachments that do the job well. You can also pick up an even cheaper model of the dryer, the Swift SE Lite, for $59.99. It’s slightly less powerful, with a shiny plastic casing (as compared to the matte one found on the regular Swift, but if you blow-dry your hair less often or simply want a more bargain option, it’s also a great choice.

Shark CryoGlow and FlexFusion bundle

This bundle of the Shark CryoGlow and FlexFusion is for the skincare and hair devotees. After three months of testing out the Shark CryoGlow mask, Senior Shopping Reporter Leah Stodart determined that “Shark’s face mask visibly proved its worth in my skincare routine, and I’d recommend it to just about anyone.” The mask features red, blue, and infrared light, allowing it to target acne, dark circles, fine lines, and uneven texture. Even at its full price of $349.99, it’s one of the more reasonably priced red light masks on the market. The FlexFusion is designed to be just as much of a workhorse, designed to be used with both wet and dry hair, for straightening, volumizing, and curling. On its own, the configuration of the FlexFusion in this bundle amounts to $349.99, meaning you save about $200 with this bundle.