Adventures in Hair Removal

I have a quite extensive history of hair removal adventures (and misadventures). I've tried it all- laser hair removal, shaving, waxing, tweezing, depilatories, and epilation.
I did the laser about 5 or 6 years ago, and it was pretty much a complete fail. I had it done to my armpits, and despite the dermatologist and the aesthetician telling me I had the ideal armpit hair for laser removal, it was fairly ineffective. Many, decently painful sessions later, I had slightly less hair, but it was far from gone and returned to its full glory within after my final session. Not trying that one again.
Depilatories- I can't get past the smell of chemicals and burning hair.
And waxing...oh, waxing. You'd think I would have learned my lesson the first 10 or so times I found myself standing in the bathroom, covered in sticky wax and trying to give myself a pep talk to rip the wax off my body. I keep thinking that a different kit or something will make a difference, but I've tried several microwave kits, the kits with the wax already on the strips (the ones not requiring heat took off more skin than hair), and wax warmers. I never regretted the waxes from salons, however.
Shaving and tweezing are the old standbys, nothing thrilling or innovative but they work. Mostly.
And finally epilation, my favorite option for my legs. I have pretty bad keratosis pilaris on my legs, but it's finally improving through epilating rather than shaving, and lots and lots of AmLactin lotion. Shaving irritates my skin to no end. I bought my first epilator nearly four years ago, and I'm a big fan. So when I was offered the opportunity to review the new Philips SatinPerfect Deluxe epilator, I was more than willing to give it a shot.

The epilator I've been using until now was pretty simple. No fancy attachments, just a basic epilator. So I was intrigued by all the different attachments for this one. It comes with a basic epilation cap, a "shave, trim, and style attachment", a trimming comb, an "optimal performance cap", and a cap that has "active hairlifter with active massage". It also comes with some nifty tweezers.

 The tweezers come in a little tube that has a small mirror, and the tweezers themselves have a light built in.

So, epilating with this.
I first tried it with the basic epilation cap. I was happy with the results, but was curious about how the other attachments would work. I epilate my legs frequently enough that I hardly notice the pain, but I do still notice it when I'm epilating around my ankles. Cue the optimal performance cap. I'm always a bit of a skeptic, so I had my doubts about how much of a difference the attachment would make. However, I did notice less pain around my ankles when I used it. I also tried the attachment with the active hairlifter and active massage, which also diminished the pain a bit. I found that the fancy attachments required that I use a little more pressure and a few more passes over the area than the basic cap. So, when I'm in more of a hurry, I reach for the basic cap. But I also like the optimal performance cap and prefer it for the ankle area. It would probably also be good for those new to epilation.
One feature I really like about this epilator is the "opti-light". It's a light built into the epilator and makes it easy to see the hairs on your legs (or wherever else, but I generally only use epilation on my legs), and helps you avoid that moment where you're out and about an notice a stripe of hair that you managed to miss while shaving or epilating. I'm a fan. Nice work, Philips.

I had never used an electric razor before, so that was new to me. Please note, this device is NOT for use in the shower. Keep it away from water. I know that some electric razors are waterproof, but this device is not. I like the razor and the trimming comb, they're great for the bikini area. My skin does not do well with shaving in the bikini area with a standard razor- way too much irritation. But the electric razor didn't irritate my skin. Yay!

I'm very happy with this product. I can't think of anything that I dislike, other than that the long instructions seem a bit daunting. But maybe that's just because I'm impatient when it comes to reading instructions.

The Philips HP6576/50 Satin Perfect Deluxe Epilator is a winner in my book. It retails for about $150, though right now on Amazon it's listed at $129.97. The Amazon listing also has a chart comparing Philips' different epilators here. There's a Satin Perfect Epilator that just comes with the basic epilation cap here, which is on Amazon for $84.99. It doesn't come with any of the extra attachments, but it does have the built in light!

I definitely recommend the Satin Perfect. I love how smooth it leaves my skin, and it's so nice to not have stubble appear after a few days. Smooth legs for longer is always good.

Have you ever tried epilating?
Do you think you'll give this one a shot?


*Disclosure: This product was provided to me for consideration by PR through the BzzAgent program. All opinions are entirely my own. I will always be honest in my reviews and only endorse products I believe are worthy of such endorsements. If you have any questions, please contact me at glitter.toucans@gmail.com *