Completely Addictive!

I don't know if I've got more hair than the average female, but I know I used to spend a ton of time shaving, only to have that nasty stubble creep back hours later (literally, hours). So I decided to look into epilators, and Braun in general seemed to have pretty good reviews, so I picked up this one because, honestly, it was on sale. I was VERY nervous at first, hesitant to try it out, but once I did, I became totally hooked.

Naturally, the first question everyone has is: is it painful? And it depends on the area. The lower half of my legs don't hurt at all, didn't the first time, don't now. In fact, I think it's wildly entertaining to watch the little buggers disappear. Upper half of the legs hurts more, especially right above the knee and on the backside, but it still feels more like a slight burning than actual pain, and the pain goes away quickly.

Underarms and bikini area are another story. The first time I did my arms, it hurt so badly I had to use a mouthguard to chomp down on! But once I felt the smoothness, I couldn't stop halfway through. This is the first time in my life my arms have felt this good- even five minutes after shaving, the stubble was still there, but not anymore!

Bikini area is the same way. The first time, it hurt pretty badly, and I managed to pull the skin a bit and get some blood (which, by the way, is much more painful than pulling the hairs), but, again, the pain goes away almost immediately, and the longer you do it, the better it feels.

My number one tip? Don't let the hair grow too long. The longer they are, the more it hurts, and the more likely the epilator is to pull the skin (since longer hairs curl back toward the skin). This goes double for underarms and bikini area- long hairs are not a good thing here. So, even though it does take a while for the hair to grow back (I find myself epilating what seem to be the same hairs about once every two weeks or so), touch up often. If you find yourself liking it, it's easy to do in front of the tv, whenever. Like I said, I'm a bit addicted.

The cons are as follows: it can't catch everything. So I'll feel stubble a few days before I can catch the hairs sometimes, and that can be very annoying, but all in all, it's a hell of a lot better than that cactus feeling I always had in the past! Legs that have some stubble on them from epilating still feel remarkably smooth. And, of course, that initial pain could be enough to turn you off. I take the "One inch at a time" approach if the pain is getting to me and just focus on small patches until it's all gone.

Some users have complained about Braun epilators in general for being corded instead of battery operated; frankly, I don't think this is a problem, and I would even call it a benefit, because the faster it moves, the less it hurts, and we all know how batteries go through that weeks-long wind down process before we break down and change them! I would not want this thing moving sluggishly, and the power supply assures this isn't a problem.

Another complaint a lot of epilators get is that they're slow. This, too, depends on the length of the hair and how obsessive you want to be about it. If you've recently shaved (so the hairs are approximately the same length, and that length is within the range the epilator can get), it takes about 15 minutes to complete one leg. This seems long, but the biggest problem for me is getting behind my legs, where I can't reach well. The lower part takes about 2 minutes, the knee and behind the knee another 2, and then the rest about 10, just because you have to keep switching directions and contorting into some pretty funny positions to catch all the hair. If you happen to have a mate who finds the concept of epilating fun (and you trust them!), let them do the backs of your legs, because some parts just simply are impossible for anyone except an olympic gymnast to reach.

In terms of other body areas, how long it takes depends entirely on how high your pain tolerance is. My first underarm took me almost an hour, but now I can do one in less than five minutes. These days, I tend to spend about 15 minutes every other day eliminating stray hairs from all areas, and if I've let it go too long, about a half hour really epilating large areas.

As for noise, it's definitely louder than my electric toothbrush, but I would put it in about the same range as a man's razor. So I can watch tv while I'm using it, but I wouldn't recommend trying to carry on a phone conversation at the same time!

The final word? The smooth feeling you get after epilating is well worth any pain I have to go through to get there. It's simply amazing, and my skin feels incredible, even without lotion or much upkeep (though exfoliating regularly is important if you're prone to ingrown hairs). And that makes this little gadget well worth the money and effort!