Braun Silk-épil 9 SkinSpa SensoSmart™epilator rose gold Review

It's been a very long while since I've used an epilator (cue the horror memories of the original Epilady when I was a teen). Purchased one for my daughter who has raved about it since receiving. And for good reason: This is definitely NOT the same beast as those Epilady's of our teen-hood that we would jam for a joke on our boyfriend's back hair. Looks and feels (to use) like a buzzy shaver. The high tweezer-count makes the experience quick and effective, and overall relatively painless. I'm honestly contemplating purchasing my own (with the next sale) based on what an excellent little device this is. Won't be going back to shaving or waxing anytime soon.

I've been epilating for near on 30 years (shush!) so I've seen the evolution from torture device to 'ouch-but-not-so-bad'

I've flitted between brands over the years and haven't used a Braun for about a decade. I don't think I'll be going back to another brand again!

The extra wide head covers lots of skin area, doing both legs is literally a five minute job. This grabs the smallest of hairs, I reckon if there's enough to shave, there's enough for this to remove.

Pain-wise - to be honest, I don't really notice the pain of epilation any more, but this was super comfy in comparison to others I've used. Being able to use it wet is great, I've been using it in the shower.

There's an electric shaver head, which makes this great for households with teenage girls - no need for a seperate device.

The exfoliating head is fantastic - my elbows and knees in particular look and feel soft!

The cellulite/massage head, feels good, but I've yet to see any results - will update in a couple of months when I've used it longer.

All up - this is fabulous. It's a quality design, easy and intuitive to use, with lots of functions, making it more than worth the price!

I vaguely remember having a very quick go at a friends "Epilady' back in the day. A terrifying vibrating coil that should only be used for torture!

Since then i've been a converted waxer although it's fair to say that out of all the places I get waxed, my legs for some reason are the bit that hurts the most! So the questions to be answered were.

a) Could the Braun Epilator hurt less than waxing? b) Has the Epilator evolved since the 80's or is it still a weapon of torture to be feared.

I can reveal to you all reading this waiting with baited breath, that the answer to both questions is a resounding YES!

I WILL NEVER WAX my legs again with this wee jewel. You can just wizz across your legs in a tick and it just grabs even the smallest hairs and spits them out. It's fun, fascinating and gets results! Your hair can be super short as well.

It took a bit of jiggery pokery to get it right on my underarms as the hair grows in two different directions but a bit of perseverance and voila hair free.

It really doesn't hurt at all. And if the light is not good then it's got a wee light on it too. I really really love it. I've played around a bit with the attachments but it's the epilator itself that wins it for me and i'd buy it for that alone.

Braun Silk-épil 9 SkinSpa, is indeed a holistic skin spa tool kit, complete with epilator, shaver, exfoliating & cleansing functions as well as a massaging attachment. It comes nicely packaged, looks great and I totally dig the trendy rose gold color.

It includes a clearly labelled parts list as well as easy to follow instructions manual. An added bonus is the drawstring pouch for easy storage of all the bits and attachments together. Braun Silk-épil 9 SkinSpa's ergonomic design is comfortable to hold and its pivoting head is easy to maneuver over the natural contours of our body.

The epilator comes with different attachments for sensitive areas of our body like face and underarm and for the rest of our body. I wasn’t game enough to epilate over face as I’ve never removed facial hair before aside from the regular eye brows waxing/threading. I also liked the massager pad as they are great for boosting skin appearance and overall circulation. The kit also contains two exfoliating brushes for use prior to epilating to minimize hair ingrowth. I did find the bristles bit on the soft side for my preferences but they did produce smoother skin overall. With regards to the epilator, it can be used wet or dry so the process can be incorporated as part of your shower or bath when you have time. I’ve used it dry on my legs and since I’ve used epilators before, I was mentally prepared for the pain that ensues but to be honest it wasn’t as bad as my old epilator. I found Braun Silk-épil 9 SkinSpa to be quieter and less sore in comparison and the two speed settings were also very helpful removing the hair from the roots using either the gentler speed or the more vigorous one. There is a sensor light in the front, that come in real handy for more efficient epilating. I did need to go back and epilate over some areas but that’s because of my finer, thinner hair I presume. The overall results were great. There was the anticipated tenderness and mild redness after use which faded within hours (no goosebumps effect though that I’ve noticed with my old epilator) and my legs felt silky smooth and shiny after moisturizing. I loved how beautifully smooth my legs felt :) and the results last much longer as compared to shaving or waxing. Overall it’s a great product and I totally love it. I was due to buy a replacement epilator so this review was well timed. At over $200, it is bit pricey but my last epilator lasted almost a decade so it’s a great investment (plus there’s always a sale at electrical/homeware stores like Noel Leeming, Briscoes, Harvey Norman). Highly recommend!

OMG! Let me begin by saying that I've been epilating for over 10 years now and I'm really impressed with this product.

The new Silk- épil 9 is fabulous! I've always had thick, strong hair, head to toe. I understand that hair removal can be frustrating sometimes and trying to find the best method for your needs can be really confusing so, let's talk about the features that makes this device so great.

With a 40% wider head this Top-of-the-line epilator, covers more area and removes more hair in one stroke. Plus you do not have to wait for your hair to grow out as long as its new MicroGrip Tweezer technology removes hairs as short as 0.5 mm long!

To increase efficiency, the Braun Silk- épil 9 has an ergonomic design, really comfortable to hold and its 40 tweezers pivoting head adapts to body contours for superior comfort and efficiency.

In addition to the hand-held device, this complete epilator set comes with an additional shaver-head and trimmer cap, a deep exfoliation brush, a gentle exfoliation brush, a deep massage pad, two protection caps, a facial cap and a power cap . It also has a smart charging stand, power cord and a cleaning brush. So you can remove hair, prevent ingrown hairs, shave and even give yourself to deep massage, all with just one kit!

Now, into the features: - Smartlight: great for highlighting finer and fairer hairs for best results.

- Long-lasting battery: charges in 1 hour for 40 minutes of use.

- 2 speed settings: dual speed settings that allows you to choose between slower speed for more sensitive areas such as bikini-line or underarms or a higher speed to clear thicker, coarser hair on larger areas faster.

- 100% waterproof: You can use the Silk-épil 9 on dry or wet skin. It can also be used in shower or bath.

- Pulsing vibration: to reduce any discomfort you may feel. I personally think this works great for people who have sensitive skin or are new to this type of hair removal method.

Overall, I think that the new Braun Silk- épil 9 ticks all the boxes. I was truly surprised about the lack of irritation on my skin after using this device. Also, it felt a lot less aggressive on my skin than my older epilators.

Cons: From my point of view, there are not many other cons to be mentioned apart from the fact that it can not be used while it is charging. Price point might be on the higher end but its justified by its features and efficiency.

I will recommend this product 100%.

I've had a Braun Silk-epil 7 epilator for around 5 years now, and I used it every two weeks, so I was really excited when I saw the notification for the Silk-epil 9 trial and immediately put my hand up, as I'd been thinking about getting an upgrade.

The new Silk-epil 9 is fantastic! It charges for about 2 hours before the first time you use it, and then it's cordless while being used (you can't charge it and use it at the same time), and the second time I charged it, a week later, it only need about 30 mins to fully charge. The 40% wider head means that hair removal is much faster than previous models - It used to take me around 40 minutes to do both legs with the Silk-epil 7, and now it only takes about 20 minutes to do both legs. Even though I'd been epilating for years, it used to still hurt around my knees and ankles with the Silk-epil 7, but there's no more pain with the Silk-epil 9, epilating has become a pain-free experience on my legs.

I did try to epilate my upper lip with the facial attachment on the Silk-epil 9 (I usually wax that area), and let me tell you, it hurts! I won't be attempting that again, but thought I should give it one go, seeing as I was trialling the product.

I found the rest of the spa attachments to be quite gimmicky; the two exfoliating heads are nice to have, but they are really quite soft and don't give a decent enough exfoliation to get rid of any current ingrown hairs. After trying out both heads, I reverted back to using my exfoliating glove, as that works so much better. The massage head is also a nice toy, but isn't something I see myself using frequently.

One thing that I did test out and found to be a joke was the SensoSmart sensor. The little light is supposed to flash red when you press down too hard. Well, I practically had to shove the epilator into my shin bone and stop the tweezers from rotating before light turned red. That sensor doesn't work - it should have turned red as soon as I pressed the epilator down hard into my skin, as epilating should be done with a light hand, and not nearly as hard as moving a razor up your leg when shaving. Sorry Braun, but your SensoSmart sensor is a huge failure.

In summary, the Braun Silk-epil 9 is a fantastic upgrade. I love that hair removal on my legs is now pain free, and it's faster. I seem to be hair free for longer too, as this new epilator grabs very short hairs as well, and it helps that it doesn't hurt, as the slower you move the epilator up your leg, the more hair it can grab. I also dry epilate (not in the bath or shower), as doing it dry gives a better result, and I use the little trimming attachment with the safety guard to trim my eyebrows, as its easy to do, it literally takes seconds, and it keeps my brows nice and neat, and all one length.