The hair-removal gods must be shining on me, as I am lucky enough to have received a second epilator to review, this time the Braun Silk-épil 7 Dual Epilator. The campaign is fronted by the beautiful Daisy Lowe, who will cause any girl to turn green-eyed with serious leg-envy.
Spec: The new Braun epilator is the world's first to combine epilating and shaving. The special head has a 40 tweezer epilator with an integrated Venus blade to remove stubborn hair and exfoliate skin (reducing ingrown hairs). It can be used wet and dry.
Comfort: I have to be honest here, I have been using the Remington epilator (review here) for about a month now, so I am used to the process, but when I lowered this new Braun to my leg I exhaled a surprised 'ouch'. This is a stingy machine that is nowhere near as gentle as the Remington. I accepted the sensation fairly quickly but even so, the backs of knees and sensitive ankles are quite painful to epilate.
Efficiency: This is where the Braun comes in to it's own. By combining the razor with the epilator, it is quick and easy to remove hair from your legs. You are recommended to use it with shaving foam, and it is truly satisfying to see a channel of smooth leg emerging with one sweep of the machine. The whole process took me about 5-10 minutes, half the time of the Remington.
My initial worry was that shaved hair obviously grows back quicker and thicker than plucked, so though making the instant results quicker, will regrowth be closer to a razor result? 5 days later though the skin is not completely smooth, regrowth is still not visible- I'm happy.
Extras: The product comes in a zip pouch, and has an additional head for for epilating without shaving- useful if you have time on your hands and would like a longer lasting result.
Overall: Testing this product has shown me that epilators vary greatly model to model. This Braun is a great innovation; the wet and dry compatibility means it can be used in the bath or shower, which is a nice time saver for hurried pamper session.
The addition of the razor adds a new dimension to the traditional epilator. The result is instant and visible- no more going over and over the same patch of leg to achieve a smooth result. The results are perhaps not quite as long lasting, but still beat the humble razor in longevity.
The pain may be an issue for new epilator users, but for the practiced plucker it's nothing outrageous. I think that this is probably best suited to those who already epilate and are looking for a versatile upgrade.
