Shaun, aka The Tech Guy, aka my boyfriend, is here with another must-read “manly” review. He’s twenty-seven with normal-to-dry skin and suffers from no more acne (much to my envy!).
Shaun enjoys long walks on the beach, vegging out on the couch watching chick flicks, and cuddling with Mellan. Or maybe not! He handles all the behind-the-scenes action here at Temptalia, from tech support to server woes to being my shoulder to cry on.
I haven’t used a straight razor in a long time. In fact, I tend to put off shaving as much possible. I tried Gillette’s ProGlide ($12.99) with a bit of reluctance because of the bad memories of shavings past. They came to me in the night much like the story of Scrooge. Each one was scarier than the last, but I persevered!
The main complaint I have with the straight edge is that it seemingly takes forever and is morbidly inconvenient. Maybe it was the razor, or maybe it was just the passage of time, but this was one of the quicker shaves I’ve had in a while. There’s no doubt about it, the straight edge does a far superior job than the electric razor does. This particular model came with a vibration feature, and I don’t know what it is about the term “vibration” but I feel… Dirty about it…
I used it reluctantly and induced Christine into a double blind test. How did I do this–no doubt you’re wondering–first, I did the two finger eye poke ala Ric Flair (ladies love wrestling references right?). After jabbing her eyes and doing the Ric Flair strut, I grabbed her hands and put them on either side of my face. She determined that the buzzed side was a bit smoother, and then she proceeded to point towards the ceiling. Upon observing what she was pointing at, I took a knee to the most sensitive area on a man’s body. The solar plexus.
This razor is very… Car-like (thanks reader, Proximity!): it’s chrome and has various gripping mechanisms all over its exterior. The problem with the chrome is upon getting it wet, it becomes slippery and could cause major or minor facial reconstruction upon slippage.
After three or four usages, the green strip at the top of the replaceable portion of the razor is already half white. This indicates that it is nearing the end of its lifetime. This is a bit quick for me, however, no one is forcing you to replace the cartridge, but getting only five or six shaves at full strength is a bit on the weak side.
Recommendation: It might be time to give the straight edged razor a try again electric fans. I think I’ll be sticking with it for the time being. This particular razor seems like a solid and reasonably price option. Give it a shot.
As has been said in the past, I am on twitter (@shauntechguy) and beside seldom updates, followers will receive a signed copy of my coming-of-age tale: The Tech Guy in You!*
*While Supplies Last**
**Supplies No Longer Last
Going Brazilian @ Stript
Last week, I had my first-ever waxing experience (of any body part), and I just took the bull by its horns and had a Brazilian done. I went to Stript Wax Bar. Stript is owned by the lovely, puts-you-right-at-comfort Katherine Goldman, a local Bay Area esthetician. Stript is all about waxing, whether it’s brows, legs, or down under for ladies AND gents. They have three locations: San Francisco, Oakland, and Palo Alto. I visited their Palo Alto location near Stanford University for an appointment with Katherine, and I was so impressed by the service, I immediately booked my maintenance appointment for four weeks out!
First up, a quick Q&A session with Katherine on some of those first-time waxer questions I had to get answers on before I went under the… wax. Then, a more detailed rundown of the experience itself–but let me just say getting my upper lip threaded was 10x more painful than getting a Brazilian. Keep Reading!
The TRIA Laser ($995.00) is an at-home permanent hair removal device created to mimic the laser treatments done in dermatologist offices. The story behind TRIA is to give women a way to get the benefits of light-based hair removal in the privacy of their own home. The gold standard used in dermatologist offices is a diode laser hair removal system. The scientists that invented this professional diode laser also developed the TRIA laser, which utilizes the same technology as the professional lasers you would find at your dermatologists. TRIA’s technology is miniaturized and safe for use at-home by you.
The folks at TRIA asked me if I would be interested in trying out the TRIA and chronicling my experience on the blog. My first reaction was, “REALLY?” And my second reaction was, “PERMANENT HAIR REMOVAL? REALLY?” So here I am, chronicling my adventures with the TRIA Laser for all to read, and you can be sure you’ll hear how it progresses and what results I see as I go through the treatments. The basic technology behind the TRIA is a diode laser which targets the dark pigment found in the hair follicles; this energy heats up and disables the hair follicle, which in turn causes the hair to fall out. Eventually, no more hair growth!
You tell me why I would even consider a device that’s $995.00! TRIA is not designed for the girl on a budget, but it is designed for people seeking permanent hair removal, but those who cannot afford the expense of having laser treatments performed by their dermatologists. According to TRIA, women can expect to spend approximately $3,000 over the next ten years for shaving, nearly $5,000 for depilatories, $11,000 for waxing, and $14,000 for electrolysis. Despite the long-term cost-savings, it is a larger up front cost that I feel is best suited for women in the market for permanent or laser hair removal. Going to the dermatologist’s office will cost you thousands to treat your legs, arms, bikini line, and underarms–TRIA costs you much less in comparison. Waxing is also a pricey option (moreso than shaving), so those who regularly get themselves waxed might find this something to consider.
Treatment One
I’m just about at the end of my first treatment (which I did just under four weeks ago). At that time, I did my legs and underarms. I attempted my bikini line, but I hadn’t shaved immediately before, so I decided to wait until next time. I discovered my legs and underarms could withstand the highest energy level for the most part. There were a few spots on my legs that I needed to reduce the energy level to medium, because the pin-prick sensation was mildly painful. Any pain associated with the treatment was still less than waxing, though. Luckily, with three settings, you can generally find your butter zone where it’s working and you’re comfortable.
It took me about a half hour or so to do both legs, but I think I might have hurried and not been as thorough as I should have been. I’ll let you know how it long it takes for treatment two when I’m deliberately being more thorough! The TRIA does need to be recharged regularly. I wouldn’t count on doing marathon sessions of hours of the TRIA or anything, but you should be able to do your legs or your arms in one sitting. Basically, the larger the area, the longer it will take.
So far… Generally, you won’t have visible results until after your second treatment, but I can say that the hair on the back of my legs is sparser than it was before. I’ve also noticed that some of my underarm hair has grown less (like it looks patchy almost) in some areas. FYI, I shave my underarms everyday; I think the hair under there grows faster than my boyfriend’s scruff, LOL.
Get details on how to use the TRIA and where it can be used, plus a few more photos… Keep Reading!
A few weeks ago, I tested Gillette’s Venus Embrace, which is a five-bladed razor. It has a “Protective Ribbon of Moisture” that goes around the razor head, which basically helps make the shave go smoother both during and afterwards. It also has a ShowerPod, which has a suction cup allowing it to attach to your shower wall. The ShowerPod is of decent size, such that it can hold extra cartridges so you can grab them whilst in the shower. No more of those, “Ugh! I forgot to change the blade!” moments.
Last time I wrote about razors, I raved about the Schick Quattro. I know what the first question you have for me is: which one is better?
Well, find out! Keep Reading!
Schick Quattro For Women Razor
($9.19 @ Drugstore.com) puts the disposable razor to shame. The head of the razor has two conditioning strips that contain aloe and vitamin E, and it is probably one of my favorite parts about this genre of razors. You just know your legs will feel just that much smoother when you’re done. I’m sure you figured out that “Quattro” refers to its four blades, which are positioned closely together. But you know why I really liked this razor? Because it comes with a shower hanging doo-dad. There’s a suction cup on one side that you attach to your shower wall, and then the razor hangs in it. Awesome, so awesome. No more razor on the tub sides, precariously positioned! I use this kind of razor on my legs, underarms, etc. (I save disposables for bikini area–only because you want to have a super sharp, brand-new edge all of the time, so disposable is way cheaper). My legs are lovin’ it. By the by, that $9.19 price includes two replacement cartridges, so it’s not a bad deal at all. If you’re a tech geky, check out www.quattroforwomen.com for all the goodness on it.
What razor do you use? Do you just wax? How do you keep your legs smooth and non-Chewbacca-like?
P.S. I know it’s “Friday” for a lot of people, so if you’ve got the Friday jitters, send a friend (or yourself) a dream date courtesy of Shick. Just head over to www.schickdreamdate.com. Or enter to win their Dream Date II Sweepstakes!
In a world of technology, and being a bit of a product geek myself, when bliss/philips sent over Bikini Perfect (Deluxe Spa Edition) ($59.99), I admired it first in awe, because it looked sleek and practical. Then I admired it because it looked like it could quite easily be a modern day torture device. Seriously, some of those attachments will leave the less hair removal savvy running!
The Bikini Perfect is an at-home grooming system. It features a cordless, rechargeable, shower-friendly trimmer with six attachments. The kit also comes with trial sizes of their body butter & an ingrown-hair exfoliating pad.
- Precision Trimmer: grooms bikini ilne
- Precision Comb: ensures even grooming results (5 length settings)
- Eyebrow Comb: trims entire eyebrow to a uniform length
- Micro Trimmer: shapes/defines/removes brows or a single hair
- Micro Shaver: extra smooth and safe shaver
- Epilator: removes hair by the root
So what did I do? Being the not-so-hair-down-there savvy (hey, I don’t mind the disposable razor technique–gives me the results I want and keeps me bump free!), I went straight for the Epilator attachment. Now, let me tell you that I imagine the epilator attachment is the most painful of the six, because let’s face it, it’s plucking hair entirely, not just trimming or shaving it.
When you first turn the device on, the speed it is spinning/whirring at is downright frightening. I was like, “OH GOD!” when I turned it on, and I looked at myself in the mirror thinking, “Can I really do this? Aww, what the hell!” For as daunting as it seemed, it wasn’t that bad when I was going around the bikini line and whatnot. This is not to say that it was painless. I think my pain tolerance is decent for down there, so the epilator and I got along fine. However, there were a few hairs that got pulled out that made me go, “GOOD GOD!” The pain is akin to plucking out the hair with tweezers–just not as painstakingly slow. I’m trying to build up some courage to try the eyebrow comb, but we’ll see!
For the pricetag, this is a worth-it purchase if you’re into at-home shaving. If you’re a little terrified of having someone else see (or muck around with) your naughty bits, this is a less embarrassing method. If you’re into Brazilians, you’re probably better off getting a wax, since it’s faster (and the pain is probably about the same as with the epilator in THOSE areas). But for those who just want to trim, neaten, and take care of the bikini line–this does a fine job of keeping you looking your swimsuit best!
Learn more about the kit at blissworld.com
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