The Brazilian
Years ago, in what I sweetly refer to as BC (Before Children) I worked for a well known beauty brand at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. Just down the street, on East 57th St, there was and still is J. Sisters, known for being the pioneers of the Brazilian Bikini Waxing in the United States.
And in those BC years, every 4-5 weeks I would schedule my appointment and 20-30 minutes later, after warm wax and fabric strip after strip, my bikini line was completely bare and silky smooth (sorry if this is TMI).
Although I lived on the Upper West Side of New York City (UWS) I always booked my appointment an hour before I was to begin work so J. Sisters was geographically desirable. And in those days of Bergdorfs and Brazilians, I was a makeup artist who was first engaged, and then a newlywed and then part of a young married couple... And a Brazilian at J. Sisters was about $40.
Fast forward, several years I am now still a makeup artist but now I am also a wife, a mom of 2 incredible girls, and a business owner. I do not work anywhere near East 57th St, making J. Sisters a hassle and a half to get to. And today the same Brazilian waxing at J. Sisters runs $75. Yet I still longed for the bareness and smoothness of those BC days (without the commute and the expensive price tag) .
Sooooooooo, this summer I made it my mission to find a more convenient and less expensive substitute... And I believe I did!
My Quest
During my quest, I went through a slew of depilatories/hair removers and I chose this route for several reasons:
- It is practically pain free! As much as I love the results from waxing, the pulling and ripping of strip after strip was getting tired, painful and old for me.
- I can do this in the convenience of my own home, in my own bathroom.
- I can do this at any time of day (especially after my girls are asleep).
- I do not have to wait for a full regrowth in order to achieve the super smooth results that I like.
- The whole process from start to finish takes about 10 minutes.
Below are the results from my “research” (Please keep in mind that this is my own personal experience and your own may differ slightly...) I am using a “Smoothness Factor” or SF rating of 1-5 with 5 being the best.
- The “N’s and a V”... and by that I mean Nads, Nair, Neet and Veet. All were bought at my local drugstore and ranged in price from $6.99- $12.99. All of them did the job but I found that I needed to let the cream/lotion/stuff stay on my thighs a bit longer (5 minutes as opposed to 3 like the bottle/tube says) to really get ALL the hair off. All the “N’s and a V” worked on my bikini and “Brazilian” area too and did not sting that sensitive skin down there. And all the “N’s and a V” did not smell too bad either. I am giving all the products in this group a SF rating of 3 1/2.
- Bikini Zone Creme Hair Remover, 4 Minute Formula - Basically a smaller tube (only 2 oz.) with a higher price tag and the same results as the “N’s and a V” group. Because of the higher price for less product, Bikini Zone gets a SF rating of 3.
- Sally Hansen Extra Strength Spray-On Shower-Off Hair Remover - I found this product to be messier than the regular lotions or cream hair removers. It dripped a lot and was difficult to apply in the back since the can did not spray when in an upside down position. I also had to spray the product into my hand and then apply on the bikini and Brazilian areas, making the process even more messy. Because of the messiness Sally Hansen Spray gets an SF rating of 2.
- Avon SKIN SO SOFT Fresh & Smooth Moisturizing Hair Removal Cream- I ordered this online at Avon.com and it arrived within 3 days time. The tube is 4.2 oz. and I purchased it ON SALE for $3.99 (usual price $8.00). Out of all the depilatories I tried this is by far the BEST and is now my go to hair remover from now on! The directions say to leave on for 2 1/2 minutes and then test to see if the hair removes easily... And much to my surprise after only 2 1/2 minutes it did! The hair wiped right off ! This product has a very pleasant smell and removed all the hair where I wanted it to and left my skin super bare and smooth! Hands down this product gets an SF rating of 5!!
- Avon also makes SKIN SO SOFT Fresh & Smooth Sensitive Skin Bikini Line Hair Removal Cream which is a 2.5 oz. tube for $6.00. I found no difference between this product and the Avon SKIN SO SOFT Fresh & Smooth Moisturizing Hair Removal Cream so I am sticking with this one.
I will be using Avon SKIN SO SOFT Fresh & Smooth Moisturizing Hair Removal Cream religiously through the fall... Now I have no excuse not to wear a shorter skirt and boots this season! And even though I have moved on from those days of J.Sisters, Bergdorfs and Brazilians, I can STILL be super smooth (maybe even smoother) than I was in those BC days ;-)
What do YOU think?
Please comment below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️