Epilating tips
Our intrepid journalists try out two of the latest epilators – one girl a seasoned veteran, the other an epilator virgin. And you know what? In the epilator deathmatch… it’s a draw!
Meet… the Phillips Satinelle Ice Premium!
- Cordless
- Feminine design
- About £50
- Epilator and shaver
- Exfoliation glove
- Ice pack to cool any sore bits
BECKY SAYS: The Philips Satinelle Ice Premium claims to be ‘ultra gentle’ and ‘ultra fast’ and even offers a ‘less pain money back guarantee’, but does it deliver its promise? Will razor lovers and wax fans convert to the ways of the epilator once they have used this product?
Round 1: Style
The downside of most epilators is the clinical design. Many of these little machines look like torture devices in cool green shades. The Philips Satinelle Ice Premium receives top marks for its pretty design; long and sleek in shape, pale lilac in colour with an attractive flower motif on the front. This product looks good enough for a designer bathroom and doesn’t look daunting to use.
Round 2: How easy is it to use?
This is by far the gentlest epilator that I have used. The product comes with a detachable ice cooler and has been designed with a special massage system that comforts the skin. It felt like a cool hand smoothing my legs as I epilated, and pulled out my hairs quickly when on the second setting. Another good feature is the rechargeable battery; you can use the epilator plugged into the mains or on its own, which when fully charged will give you approximately twenty minutes of power.
Round 3: Pain factor
It was a little bit awkward to use around the bikini area as the product is quite large, but the extra sensitive head made it a lot less painful than other epilators. If certain areas are too sensitive to epilate, the product comes with a separate shaving head – ideal for armpits!
Round 4: Epilating tips
Areas epilated should remain hair-free for up to four weeks but I personally do a weekly top-up to ensure that I am constantly smooth.
There is a risk of ingrown hairs with epilation. To remedy this, ensure that you regularly exfoliate your skin and use a moisturiser to keep it smooth. Like the Bodycurve, the Satinelle Ice comes with an exfoliation glove.
Ding ding ding! Final thoughts
Epilating is a great, cost effective hair-removal method – you’ll never have stubbly legs as your hair will grow back fine and downy, and you don’t need to grow all of the hair long before paying for an expensive wax as you can epilate hairs as short as 0.5 mm.
Meet… the Remington Bodycurve!
- Cordless
- Feminine design
- About £50
- Epilator and shaver
- Exfoliation glove
- Bodycurved to ease removal of tricky hairs
MAGDA SAYS: Remington’s new EP5000 Bodycurve Dual Head Epliator has neat little curved heads designed to follow the body contour and capture every hair more quickly, so it doesn’t need to be used as long. The Bodycurve is cordless, quick to charge, and doubles up as a shaver and epilator giving you the choice of two hair removal methods. Hurrah!
Round 1: Style
If you love all things pretty in pink then you will adore this fancy floral patterned beauty. It doesn’t look like a gynaecological instrument for mutant women, and its ergonomic egg-shape feels nice and friendly in the hand. Not off-putting at all.
Round 2: How easy is it to use?
This is by far the only epilator that I have used. I’m an epilator virgin! But I put my fears aside and was delightfully surprised. My test is always to see how far you can get without following the instructions. I just clicked the epilating head (the one with the tweezers) into place and switched it to slow (vrrrm) then fast (VRRRM). I went for a semi-circular motion and was impressed at how quickly and smoothly the hairs came out – as effective as an expensive waxing session. The rounded head of the Bodycurve made it easy to reach those tricky bits like your inner thigh and nunu area.
Round 3: Pain factor
As an epilator virgin (I shave my legs and armpits and get my nunu waxed) I was quite frankly terrified. All epilators talk about their ‘pain-reducing’ benefits on the packaging. Since epilators highlight ‘less pain’ as a selling quality, I of course thought epilating would be more painful than childbirth. To deal with the worst straight away, I made my first epilating area… my nunu. And you know what? It was fine. Just a bit nippy – nothing that bad, honest! My armpit hair was a bit more nippy, but from talking to others I found out that once you’ve used an epilator a few times the hairs grow back much finer, softer and less often, so it becomes easier each time you use it.
Round 4: Epilating tips
If you’re being brave and tidying up your nunu, squat to stretch the skin around the inner thigh – that makes it much easier for the epilator to do its job!
Oh – and don’t be afraid. Epilators are designed to stop if you press too hard on the skin, so you’ll never cause yourself a damage.
Ding ding ding! Final thoughts
If you wax, epilating is cheaper. If you shave, epilating doesn’t need to happen as often, and it lessens your hair growth over time. I feared the pain – now I’m a convert.
