How to Get Clean & Smooth Underarms: Emjoi Light Caress Epilator Review

Today we're going to talk about armpits [initiating humour]. This review should really be titled "The Real Deal about Epilators (A Comedy)" or "My Fight with 30-something Tweezers." If you're like me and you're absolutely tired of irritated, red bumpy underarms from shaving, epilators might be for you. I also have dark hair, so even after shaving there's this dark patch that's unsightly even from a distance. It prevents me from raising my arms to the sky when wearing tank tops and t-shirts. I've even resorted to trying to tweeze everything out before and lemme tell ya - you get super dizzy super fast looking down and into your armpits for over 2 minutes. There is such a thing as a girl's underarm 5 o'clock shadow and the more I shaved, the more that monster reared its ugly head.

I first thought about getting an epilator maybe half a year ago when I first heard of it. But I kept dragging my feet out of fear of pain and because they're pretty expensive. Over the summer, I deliberated over which one to get, but finally at the beginning of September I bit the bullet and chose the Emjoi Light Caress epilator, corded because I would forget to charge the battery on a cordless one. Honestly, this one-time purchase makes sense because razors constantly need to be replaced and those Venus ones are a mighty price to pay just to be a goddess every time you want to wear a mini skirt.

It sounds like death when you turn it on. I was standing there in the bathroom giving myself a pep talk and having a psychological dilemma. When I finally got the nerve to put the rapidly rotating thingamajig to my underarm ... oh yeah it hurt like hellfire. It's more of a quick and sharp pinch, but I've heard that pulling the skin taut helps reduce the pain and get the hairs more easily. To get everything, you might have to glide the epilator upwards, downwards, side to side and get the couple of stragglers with some tweezers if you're OCD. My plan of attack was to say "oww" out loud every time it pinched to divert my attention and rest every once in a while. But after 7 minutes or so, all was said and done - really freakishly smooth underarms ... this lasted for two weeks plus. When the hair slowly grows back, it will be a lot more sparse and usually thinner and lighter (mine were super soft and almost invisible). Also, you're going to have to grow out your hair for 3-5 days initially, so wear a long-sleeve shirt (won't be so hard since it's winter).

I have to admit ...  I was a pansy/lazy and went back to shaving for a while and of course, all the previous grotteyness came back. Once I tried again, it hurt like hell again. I'm going to man up and keep using this until I'm desensitized, and it's supposed to get a lot better after a few uses. Call me a masochist, but overall, this is one of my most worthwhile beauty-related purchases of the year. Now I can pretty much forget about shaving altogether for weeks at a time. When Christine of Xteeener posted her video, I thought that if a sweet and sensitive girl like her can survive this, so can I!

What it promises/features is to the right: There is a cool little light and you can use speed 1 for upper lip and speed 2 for underarms, legs, bikini area but I haven't tried the latter two.

Cost: $44 on Amazon

Packaging: like a round little capsule, pretty neat. Pretty design and turquoise colour

Pros:
- Efficient and thorough hair removal (you may need to tweeze a few stragglers)
- Long-lasting effects, won't have to shave for a week
- No more razor burn/bumps!
- Cost: this is really an investment - think of how expensive your Venus razor heads are!
- Multiple speed settings, can use on various parts of the body

Cons:
- Painful, like hard pinching
- Really loud
- No collector for hair, so stand somewhere easy to clean

Verdict: This epilator business takes some getting used to, but besides waxing there probably isn't another way to get as close of a shave (or rather, anti-shave). If you're sensitive to pain, I suggest you stick with shaving or your current method of hair removal. For the more adventurous, let's put on our big girl panties and get some ultra-smooth underarms.

What's included in the package: leathery pouch, epilator, power cord, exfoliating pad, protective guard, small brush (see above)

24 karat gold plated ... like that's supposed to make it hurt less. With and without blue guard. Not exactly sure what the comb-looking thing's supposed to do - get out all the tangles? I certainly hope you don't have THAT much underarm hair ;)

Readers - would you ever try an epilator?

This product was purchased with my own money. This review is my 100% honest opinion and I am in no way affiliated with this company.