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)
Tips: Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! This is the key to epilation. Exfoliation releases any hairs trapped under the skin and prevents ingrown hairs. It also removes dead skin cells so your skin looks more radiant and healthy.
Moisturise daily for smooth and beautiful skin.