The last time I shaved my legs...

...was 7 months ago.

But my legs are smoother than they've ever been. You want proof? Rob hasn't worn protective leggings to bed the way he did every other night last summer.

I reallllllly hate shaving. It's a lot of work for legs that stay smooth a whole five-and-a-half hours. I was ready to give up my razor, the occasional painful nick, and the extra water and time consumed by bi-daily shavings. I was NOT, however, willing to spend a fortune or endure pain.

On the recommendation of a Style Matters column in my local newspaper, I set out to find a Braun epilator. I looked at my usual places: Target, Costco, and Walgreens. I couldn't find the $49.99 model suggested.

I also tried braun.com. Apparently you can't buy direct from there, so I ended up at Ulta. There I got the last Braun Silk Epil Xelle on the shelf for $70. (But since then I found a better price -- less than $59 through Amazon, if you can wait for delivery.)

Ouch! I thought. Pain in the purse. But then I remembered what my Venus blades were costing. I'd be ahead of the game in less than 2 dozen blades.

I gave it a go after my next shower (clean, dry skin is required). And I did what Style Matters suggested for the pain: I took ibu.profen 20 minutes beforehand.

The epilator, which looks a lot like an electric shaver, has two speeds and two heads, for four different sensitivity levels. I chose the lowest setting but quickly moved up because -- surprise! -- there was very little pain. And I, my friends, am a wuss.

I now power-pluck about once a week, and my legs stay pretty smooth in between treatments because only about a third of the follicles are active at any one time. And the re-growth isn't prickly like with shaving, because the top ends of the hairs hasn't been sheared.

My hope is that if I keep yanking the hairs out at the roots, that they will just get tired of replenishing. Wouldn't you? Is it my imagination, or is the forest hair on my leg a lot sparser now?

Going back to the low speed and the higher head, last week I ventured into bikini-land. And by that, I do mean the area not covered by a bikini. Well, a bikini I would wear, anyway.

A little sensitive, I must admit. Next time, I'll pop the Ad.vil ahead of time. Then I'll try again to pluck those suckers.

My only beef? The head is pretty slender, about 1.5 inches across. That means that each stroke cuts a small swath and that the regimen -- both legs top and bottom -- takes me about 15 minutes.

Hmmmmm. 15 minutes a week versus 15 minutes every other day. And smoother legs as a bonus.

I love my Braun epilator.

Two thumbs up.

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