Braun Silk-épil Xpressive 7681 Body & Face Rechargeable Epilator

For anyone hesitating over whether to buy an epilator, I would say go for it. I have salon waxed for a few years now and always thought an epilator would be more painful than waxing. I decided to take the plunge. I am so pleased with the results! My legs and underarms are now perfectly smooth and it's easy to do at home. The sensation was a bit strange to get used to at first. I did my bikini line with no problem at all as well. Using the epilator is definitely less painful than waxing.

The good thing about this model, Braun Silk Epil Xpressive, is that it’s so versatile. Its Hairlift system gently lifts and removes hair. It even removes short flat lying hairs from the root which gives smooth skin for up to 3 to 4 weeks. Its pivoting head adapts to all body contours and gives thoroughness. Massaging systems stimulate the skin before hair removal which helps to reduce the pain. The smartlight is brilliant for showing up little tiny hairs.

The Braun Silk Epil Xpressive body and face set also includes a Precision head for utmost precision for facial hair, a Narrow Epilation Cap for gentleness for underarm and bikini and a Shaverhead & Trimmer for shaving, trimming and shaping your bikini area.

The Braun Silk epil Xpressive is also rechargeable. It takes just 1 hour to recharge which gives over 35 to 40 minutes of running time. It is also fully washable for maximum hygiene.

I highly recommend this product – definitely worth spending on a more expensive model such as this one. -- Harshini Patel, Amazon.co.uk

Ouch Ouch!

Review Date: June 28, 2008

Reviewer: Mrs. S. E. Davies, UK

Some years ago, I bought an epilator, can't remember which but it was one of the the main brands, turned it on and stuck it to my leg to give it a go. It was so painful that I immediately turned it off, put it back in the packaging and returned it to Argos very hastily! I am a shaving fan, it is quick, easy and pain free as long as you do not cut yourself. The downside of shaving of course is that it only lasts for a couple of days before it all needs doing again. So as I am going on holiday soon and want a longer lasting solution and on the strength of the other reviews stating that the latest epilators are much less painful I decided to give this a go. The Silk Epil 7681 comes with various heads that you can use on different parts of your body. A sensitive head for novices like me, an underarm cap for underarms and other delicate areas like bikini line, a precision head for face and other sensitive areas and a shaving head to remove longer hair before eplilation. You also get pre-epliation wipes to help cleanse and prepare your skin before doing the job, although personally I feel that these are not essential. You need to charge the epilator firstly, it takes about an hour to fully charge. Whilst waiting for this, I read the instructions which are quite easy to follow. On reading the 'Important Section' of the instructions, I noted that you should not use the epilator to remove the hair on your head or your eyelashes. Why the hell anyone would want to epilate their eyelashes beats me, I am trying to get mine thicker and longer, not get rid of them, but I suppose it takes all types......... After the epilator was fully charged, I applied the beginner cap and gingerly put it to my leg. I carefully moved it along my leg and experienced absolutely zero pain whatsover. Wow! amazing! With more confidence I went over another area, still no pain! This is easy, the manufacturers have obviously cracked it and it is now completely pain free.......... Hang on, I suddenly realised that the beginner head was not removing any hair whatsoever, no wonder it was pain free, bugger.....! Obviously my hair was too short for the beginner cap to work on, so if I actually wanted to remove any hair that day, nothing else for it, I put the efficiency cap on which ensures maximum contact with the skin, giving fast eplilation and tried it on my leg. Well that certainly hurt! Quite a stinging sensation. I carried on and did find that as I got used to the sensation it was not too bad and I could endure it. Once I had done my leg, I noticed that it did not get all the hairs out in one go and had left a few behind. However by then, my leg was starting to get a bit sensitive and a shaving like rash had appeared. I decided to call it a night and then had another go the following day when my leg had recovered a bit. The next day the ouch factor was definately a lot better, although of course most of the hairs had gone in the first round and it was just clearing up the rest. It would have been nice if the epilator had got rid of all the hairs in one go, but I suppose that there are going to be some shorter ones that will need to grow through a bit longer before you can get them all. I have had my legs waxed before and feel that waxing is less painful, but only because it does a larger area all at once. With this you can only do small areas, therefore increasing the length of painful hair removing time. However unlike waxing, you do not have to let it all grow back again before removing, you can quickly use the epilator to get rid of the hairs as and when they start to grow through. So do I like the Silk Epil? I would say yes, for me it was not pain free and it did hurt a bit initially. However this was not bad enough to stop me carrying on and I am pretty confident that it will get much less painful the more I use it. I did try the beginner head again on my other leg when I had allowed the hair to get a bit longer, that was less painful than the faster head, but then the faster head is faster and quicker. So take your pick, slighty more painful and faster or less painful but slower and longer hair removing time. So far I am not brave enough to try the more sensitive areas like the bikini line or underarm, but definately will, when I get my pain threshold up a bit higher! So I would recommend this product, the different heads seem to be useful (when I get brave enough to use them!) and I think it is a good alternative to shaving or waxing. EDITED REVIEW 18TH JULY 2008. I have now been using the epilator for a few weeks and have to say I am a bit disppointed with the results so far. As I stated earlier in my review it was leaving behind a few fine short hairs. I have never been able to get completely smooth hair free legs no matter how slowly or how many times I redo each leg. To try to keep hair free, I have to do my legs every few days and still find that the epilator misses hairs, leaving my legs feeling stubbly. Today, I have resorted to shaving again and for the first time am enjoying smooth stubble free legs. I will still keep the epilator and use it, but feel that if I want completely stubble free legs, I am going to have to use the razor alongside the epilator to whisk away the very short hairs that the epilator is missing. This is disappointing and I feel a bit mislead by the manufacturers claims of hair free legs for up to 4 weeks!

A total revelation!

Review Date: April 7, 2008

Reviewer: rubytuesday, UK

Having done a lot of research online into epilating (after discovering that shaving was no longer an option for me - and deciding that waxing was too expensive, messy, and being revolted at the thought of regrowth) i made an investment into the latest braun offering. After hearing numerous tales of woe - epilators being banished to the backs of cupboards and draws to repress painful memories - and plain disappointment from those who said when they tried it simply didnt work, i was fully prepared for a long painful hair removal session. Opening the box my initial impression was "ooh it comes with a nice bag", which is convenient since it comes with a plethora of different heads (face/bikini aka precision head, efficiency head, efficiency head plus massagers, beginner head, underarm head, and shaver/trimmer. Not to mention the comb!) and a packet of 'pre-epilation wipes'. After reading my instruction booklet to be fully informed and working out which head i needed i was ready... Switching on the Braun Silk Epil Xpressive 7681 epil to Speed 1 i was disconcerted by the noise and the terrifying sight of the blades turning! However i took a deep breath, and after using one of the wipes, starting at a hairy little ankle i tried... And it was fine! More than fine! I could barely feel it - i could feel the hairs being removed but it hurt much less that plucking my eyebrows! So pleased was i that i bravely went upto the highest speed - still ok! As pleasant as the massage rollers felt, i decided to brave the efficiency head on speed 2! And it was fantastic! Both legs done i was ready for more - i attached the underarm head and did that too! This was a little more sensitive but nothing i couldnt handle. I even had a go on the bikini line, which also was bearable! The results are amazing, id recommend epilating to anyone - results are as smooth as a wax, and last as long, plus you can get the little beggars as they crop up rather than waiting for a whole leg to turn into the amazon. Plus my legs look better - since im dark - as the roots arent visible anymore, same goes for my underarms. I think the head attachments are necessary - particularly if like me you have bony knees, the precision head is much better at angling! I cant believe i've shaved all these years and have recommended epilating to everyone since - my mother and sister agree its painless, quick and easy and will also be investing. This new model is quite pricey compared to the older types, but its rotating head and smartlight are the advances it has over its rivals - its well worth every penny, and compared to a professional wax it really isnt that much. I would highly recommend this product to anyone (and have done to everyone so far!) the main issue for most seems to be the pain - and its much less than a wax. I do have a high threshold for pain, but since having tried it out on wimpy family members who agree its a odd yet painless sensation i cant understand why anyone would opt to shave given this much more satisfactory alternative. So i'd say go for it! (after all it comes with a 2 year guarantee, and you can always return it if you have any problems)