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RRP: £5.65
--What does the promo say?--
"The cream removes unwanted hair effectively, leaving the skin soft and
moisturised. Formulated with soothing calendula and witch hazel, it
helps to maintain the natural balance of your skin."
--Packaging--
The pink and white tube, decorated with a calendula motif, is distinctly feminine and neatly encapsulates the product's virtues of natural ingredients and gentleness. Easy to use; closes securely to greatly reduce the chances of leakage.
--Application--
The brand advises: "Evenly spread the cream, directly onto the skin, ensuring that all
hairs are completely covered. Leave in place for 5-10 minutes. The time
needed may depend on the stubbornness of the hair, but do not exceed 10
minutes. Remove a small test area of cream with the spatula
provided. If the hairs come away easily, remove the rest of the cream
with spatula and rinse the hair removal area with plenty of water. If
needed, leave the cream on for no longer than 10 minutes." Nothing difficult about this. Application and removal are facilitated thanks to the reusable plastic spatula included in the box.
--Appearance--
A white cream that leaves no visible residue on the skin.
--Scent--
Surprisingly floral and relatively pleasant without being overbearing. Definitely does not fit the mould of chemical-smelling depilatory creams.
--Texture and consistency--
Seems to spread onto the skin smoothly and wash off easily too, while being more robust than a mousse.
--Effects on the skin--
While you do feel a little bit of tingling in the final minutes of the full 10, it's possible that some people won't need to leave it on for long enough to experience this. Unfortunately, some of my unwanted hairs are quite stubborn, so the full 10 minutes was required - and even then success was only partial, eliminating most/all of the finer hairs but not always doing much on the thicker ones. The thickness of the hair growth was stemmed as a result of using this cream.
--Value for money--
This price seems to be in line with hair removal creams from other major manufacturers, such as Veet and Nair, so shouldn't raise any eyebrows. I'd say that if hair removal creams normally work well for you, I'd recommend trying this, as the presence of calendula and witch hazel are definitely different to other creams and serve as a clear plus. However, I can only see it in my life as a complement to other hair removal methods, such as shaving, waxing and plucking (I alternate between these depending on how the hair growth is), as it wasn't quite enough to get rid of all of my unwanted body hair, even by using it for the maximum 10 minutes allowed. You haven't got much to lose by giving it a go though - and make sure you shop online for the best deals.
perfect partners
Hair Removal Mousse, £3
Crystal Gel Body Wax Strips, £6.18
RRP: £6.18/20 strips
retails at HealthCounter and Fragrance Direct; also available on eBay
--What does the promo say?--
"Louis Marcel Crystal Gel Strip Wax is a salon style cold wax like
treatment for use at home, in safe, easy and ready to use pre-coated
strips. Unwanted hair is removed down to and including roots, so
regrowth does not normally occur for up to six weeks, and hair regrowth
will appear finer and less obvious."
--Packaging--
The wax strips are transparent, showing a pale pink translucent wax ready for use on the strips. The pink and white cardboard box also contains a sachets of oil to remove excess wax and to soothe the treated area after waxing. Much is made on the box of the product's floral ingredients thanks to the large pink flower motif - among the ingredients are camellia, rosemary and geranium.
--Application--
Rub the strips between your hands briefly to warm the wax. Peel the strips apart before laying one down on the skin in the direction of the hair growth. Holding the skin taut, pull the strip off quickly against the direction of the hair growth. The strip can be used repeatedly until it is no longer effective (although I personally didn't fancy trying this, as what comes out on a wax strip always looks so gross!). This is all pretty easy and even relatively painless (although I have pretty low sensitivity when it comes to waxing the armpit area, so this will probably vary between individuals) :)
--Appearance--
The nice thing about the translucent pink wax - apart from looking pretty - is that even if you were to miss getting off all of the excess wax after use, it wouldn't show, as it's practically invisible. The balm oil wipes also don't leave any visible residue on the skin.
--Scent--
Perhaps slightly floral, but nothing too overbearing.
--Texture and consistency--
The wax is non-irritating and skin is left with a smooth, moisturised finish thanks to the combination of the wax ingredients and the balm oil wipes.
--Effects on the skin--
While the wax strips removed an impressive amount, they didn't remove *everything* (ugh, sorry) on the one time through that I used the wax strips. The brand does recommend that hair is 4-5mm long for best results, though, so if you have left it longer than this, or not been patient enough, then it's unsurprising that it would take longer or require the use of more strips to get a perfect result. However, it's really not bad for a home kit (I've used worse) and this could help people to feel much more confident about waxing at home.
--Value for money--
As promised, this is fast and simple to use, as well as being (at least relatively or partially) effective, which is already a good start. However, true value for money will depend on what's on offer in your area, and on your own priorities - I can get my armpits waxed for €4 a time, so an RRP of closer to €8 or €9 a box would require some consideration for me. It would depend how many wax strips I needed to use each time and how I prioritize doing this myself at home vs somebody else doing it for me, faster. You should also shop around, as several websites offer this below the RRP, which naturally increases value for money. Generally, though, a product I would recommend.
perfect partners
Hair Removal Cream for Face and Bikini Line, £4.38
Hair Removal Mousse, £3
