Braun Silk-épil 7 SensoSmart™ Review

I just got mine a month ago and so far used it twice, it’s really great and leaves you with smooth skin after a few go’s. Definitely more convenient and easy to use in comparison to waxing or shaving and makes no mess at all! The battery life was also really good, I used the Philips epilator aswell in the past and definitely will say that this one beats it by far in terms of battery life, packaging, looks and efficiency.

I bought this brand/model after much deliberation and searching. I was looking for an epilator that could do face (that dreaded upper lip) as well as body and sensitive areas like underarms etc. This one ticked all the boxes and even had a couple of extra options for not a lot more than the next model down. It has wet/dry ability, it had an easy interchange system and even a trimmer attachment in case you need to trim the grass first. This model also comes with a brush head and adapter, I have only used it a couple of times on my arms and legs... it's not harsh but the instructions recommend you don't leave it in one spot for too long. I found it exfoliated alright but I prefer to use a glove or loofah. Instructions also recommend you do this one or two days prior to epilating.There is a massage head as well but I haven't yet used it and I don't know if I will.The actual epilating part I thought would be more painful but it has two speeds and a smaller cap for sensitive areas or a large cap for larger areas such as legs and at most it felt like a scratch or a tiny ping (to me anyway).I found that the process of epilating takes a bit of time and was actually a bit tedious but I liked the result (missed a hair or two in places but managed to get them the next time) I also didn't follow the instructions at first by using a circular motion, but a slow up and down motion. It didn't leave me completely smooth but I am happy with the results and will continue to use on a regular basis.In regards to under-arm hair removal... make sure the area is good and dry (unless using wet then follow those instructions to the letter). I made the mistake of using it with the large area head by mistake and also on damp skin... it grabbed the skin a few times (only time it happened) and well it took a couple of days to heal... so dry or wet... not in between!What I like about having bought this brand is that they offer a full 60days money back (at least it's available when I purchased).

Tried waxing my bikini line a couple of times, found I could tolerate the pain quite well, so bought this epilator. After doing a load of research online over a couple of weeks I understood that I should get the best I could afford, and this has the most good reviews of the medium to upper range variety. As it happened, Farmers had these at 30% off and Braun offered a 60 day refund so I figured I couldn't lose.

Day 1 Nov 28 - first try. Decided to go for in shower epilation as the warmth would soften my skin and apparently make it less painful. Before that though, I used the shaver on one of my armpits. That was a little scarey as there is a skin tag under there and I didn't want to nick it. Will have to go get that removed. Shaver got nice and close and wasn't as rough on the skin as shaving. Left the other armpit for tomorrow, when I will pluck the courage to pluck. Used the exfoliating head on my arms and decolletage, seemed ok. Next up - the lower legs. Well, after not being able to tolerate the pain of waxing my legs, this was OK. The sensation was of lots of pinpricks and stinging, along with a sort of roughish buffing. It sent shivers up my spine and got my heckles up a bit but I got used to it. Didn't get all my legs done, and found the front of my shins more painful than the rest. Overall it was quite a bit less painful than waxing and I am going to have another go tomorrow. This will get better with practice, I'm sure.RIP leg hairs, I see your little red gravestones all over my legs :-)

Day 2 - Nov 29 - legs again Today I used it dry on my legs and it was overall more successful. Less painful, no heckles or shivers up my spine. Hair graves went down in a few hours. Legs are pretty much done now. Legs feel like the day after a shave - smooth with a few small prickles only. Still not quite brave enough to try underarms.

Day 3 - Dec 2.... the rest Today was the day to epilate bikini line and underarms. First off, underarms was too sore. If you take the massage head off and use the smaller cap, it doesn't glide over the skin as easily and I was afraid of it catching my skin. The curvy underarm makes it all pretty hard for a noob. So I opted to use the shaver instead, which should have been easy but I managed to shave a couple of small skin tags which was unpleasant. Eventually I got a close enough shave. I still think it's gentler on the skin than a razor. Bikini line was OK. Less painful than waxing but a little more care required to make sure the hairs are short enough. I used the trimmer first, in order to make room for the epilator head, and then it went pretty smoothly.

So overall I'm giving this a 5 out of 5 all round.

More practise down below will improve that result and I'll probably have another go at underarms at a later date. My legs are still quite smooth and the machine otherwise does everything on the label.

I bought this to replace my mum's 20+ year old Epilady (which still works!) and I think it's definitely worth the money.

It comes with many different attachments including a massager head (perfect for newbies) , an efficiency cap, two precision caps and a shaver attachment.

The first few times using this epilator I used the massager head. It feels really nice and definitely reduces pain. Now I use the efficiency cap because it gets the job done faster. I use the larger precision cap for my underarms and the smaller one for my bikini line. I have used it on my upper lip before - it works, but is almost unbearably painful!

The shaver head is able to shave right down to the skin, or you can just trim with the comb attachment.

Battery lasts about half an hour before it needs recharging. If you haven't epilated before, or it's been a while, you may need more than half an hour.

There is a little light that helps you see the hairs, which is a nice touch. It is also waterproof so you can use it in the shower, though I've tried it before and it seemed to break more hairs.

Comes with a cleaning brush and drawstring bag.

Pros:

+ Works really well, efficiently plucks hairs from root

+ Easy to use, no mess (unlike waxing)

+ With regular use hair grows back less and finer (unlike shaving)

+ Comes with many attachments

Cons:

- Battery doesn't last long

- Can't use while plugged in (though this is for safety, since it's waterproof)

- Painful and time-consuming (though the hair doesn't grow back for a while so it's worth it)

The best thing I think about this is it's a shaver AND epilator. I had a separate shaver and epilator and my epilator was almost 10 years old so I got this instead (I figured surely things have advanced in that amount of time). This is available on Fly Buys so I got it through that. I was so right! I think it's far more effective than my old one (this one can grip hairs the size of a grain of sand!) and it's probably less painful as top speed is pretty fast. Don't listen to anyone that says it's not going to hurt. Of course it is. I've been epilating my legs for years and it still hurts. But it's bearable and worth it when you can do this in your own time (you can use this in the shower as it's waterproof but I do my legs outside without time constraints of a shower for example).

The battery on this lasts for 40 minutes, this one cut my time down to about 20 minutes for 2 lower legs and knees (previously it took me about 40 minutes) so is really effective. I love how it's cordless and how it comes with lots of attachments. Even the shaver attachment works really well. I don't use the so-called efficency cap, I didn't find it works that well, I just go to town on my legs full speed with the epilator attachment!

I have even tried this on my face (yes, you probably think I am crazy) just to see how painful it would be - I have never epilated my face before and tried it on my neck and chin. If you are brave this works okay and you can use it for this but bear in mind you may get angry follicles popping up in an obvious place!

I find self waxing time consuming and messy whereas epilating once used to it is so much more efficient and this epilator is by far the best I have tried. I like that it comes with several different heads, specifically a trimmer. I got used to the discomfort a lot quicker than I thought and haven't actually used the wipes. I especially like that its cordless and doesn't take very long to charge up.

I've had an older plug in model for 10 years and thought I would give this a go as it's portable. However I found that it tends to snap the hairs off at the skin surface rather than removing from the root. Therefore hair grew out a lot faster so I've gone back to the original model.