When I was a kid I remember when the epilady first came out. A friend’s mother purchased it and said that the pain was actually worse than child birth. I actually tried once or twice to use it as a kid but it was quite painful and it took forever to remove any hair. I recently read an article about hair care removal that gave high praise to the new generation of epilators and since I hate the effort of shaving and how much water I use to shave I decided to give it a shot.
I purchased this model, the silk x’elle based on reviews. Braun also makes a similar model called the soft perfection that costs less and also gets good reviews, but I liked the looks and the claims that the x’elle made so I purchased this one.
I cannot describe how much I love this machine. I have tried shaving and waxing and depilatory creams and nothing was working for me. At full price this machine retails for around $70. It is much cheaper than salon waxing and even much cheaper than home waxing and lasts just as long. It is not as cheap as shaving, but while it takes just a tiny bit longer, it does not require water to make it work and it lasts a lot longer than shaving.
This epilator is not without its faults. It does sting when you use it. It is about the same level as tweezing your eyebrows. It hurts less than home waxing and it has the advantage that it does not require a pro to use. I have had half a leg covered in wax and have chickened out from the pain more than once when doing a home wax. This epilator is nothing like that. It is a stinging pain, but you get over it in a couple of minutes.
I have really enjoyed using this product. I tend to get really awful rashes from depilatory creams and shaving and I cannot afford to have my legs professionally waxed. Home waxing has been a nightmare for me and I have removed patches of skin doing so. The epilator is not without minimal pain and it does break off some hairs and has caused me a few ingrown hairs similar with tweezing, but my legs look great and this is the simplest look for removing hair with the best results that I have found.
The pros:
it has a spot light to make hairs easier to see.
has 4 way massaging rollers to minimize the pulling sensation.
It has 2 speeds, fast and slow.
the machine weighs only 14 oz.
ergonomically shaped to fit comfortably in your hand.
much easier to use than wax.
safer to use than wax.
lasts longer than shaving.
Does not cause razor burn.

The cons:
the cord is short. It could be longer.
It is loud. About the same level as an electric shaver.
It does not have a cordless option. A battery pack backup would be nice.
more painful when used in bikini area.
may cause more ingrown hairs than shaving.

Rating: 9