What They Say: "...part of a brand new line of hair remover products from CAREFREE® - helps women bring the salon waxing experience into their own bathroom. The CAREFREE® Wax Kit includes a patented Soothing Pre-Wax Lotion that helps temporarily reduce the pain associated with waxing and prepares hair for easy removal. Waxing provides long-lasting smoothness for up to four weeks.

• No heating required to use wax strips
• Less expensive than waxing at a salon
• Lasts longer than shaving by removing hair from the root
• Skin is left feeling smooth and moisturized, with no nicks or cuts
• Includes 16 double-sided Wax Strips (8 facial, 8 bikini), 3 Moisture Renewal Towelettes and Soothing Pre-Wax Lotion

CAREFREE® Hair Remover Face & Bikini Total Wax Strip Kit contains natural soy, vitamin E and aloe and uses a simple three-step process:

• STEP 1: The Soothing Pre-Wax Lotion goes on as a lotion but quickly dries to a powdery finish to help remove oil build-up so the wax can properly adhere to the hair. The pre-wax lotion also contains lidocaine to help temporarily reduce the pain associated with waxing.
• STEP 2: By simply rubbing the Wax Strips between your hands, the strips are ready to be applied to the face or bikini area.
• STEP 3: The Moisture Renewal Towelettes containing mineral oil complete the process by removing any wax residue and leaves skin feeling soft."

Melissa Says: I did it. And I'm not going to lie, I was scared. But my overall experience was not too bad...I guess.

Let me start by saying I didn't use any of the strips on my face, because I've never had to wax my brows, but instead utilized some of the smaller-sized strips for smaller areas at the bikini line. (One thing to keep in mind is that I didn't think the smaller strips had as much wax on them, so use those on lighter areas.) A few seconds of rubbing them between your hands and easily pulling the one pair of strips apart at a time, and they were ready to go.

Now we all know that applying them is the easy part. It's the ripping them off that can get sketchy, so I definitely closed my eyes for a second and hoped for quick success before the first pull. Aha, it worked! This of course gave me confidence. Mostly, I had little issue until there were areas I needed to re-do, and that of course was more painful. (On areas I had to redo, I didn't see much benefit from the pre-wax lotion.) I wish it had been a little more reliable in that regard, because going over a spot a second time was what really created irritation. Being a home kit with no-heat wax, I didn't really expect to have a flawless experience. For me the irritation was tolerable (though not pretty) and it went away by the next morning. I did not have any abrasions, just little welty bumps. I worry that this might mean irritation on the face when using the small ones there as well, so if you've tried that I'd love for you to share your experience with the readers.

I should also note that the strips weren't really usable more than twice for me and sometimes only once, even though they claim you can reuse them several times in different areas. Still, I think that if you're just doing maintenance you can probably get several uses out of one box.

I thought the pre-wax lotion worked pretty well until I needed to go over an area again and tried to reapply it; then I didn't think it seemed to do much to help the process. I did have a few instances when a little wax remained on my skin in small spots, and of course when that happened it was kind of frustrating because it was difficult to get a strip to adhere properly next time. Personally, I didn't see much point in the towelettes afterward, either.

Honestly, none of us expect waxing to be a painless procedure. My experience wasn't necessarily pleasant (ha!), but I wasn't left traumatized and I did have about 90% success for hair removal. I did need to do minimal touchups near the bikini line with a razor, but this was also very mess-free and quick.

I'd say, use this for quick clean-ups here and there (at least when using on the bikini line) and look for something else (or go to an esthetician!) for other times.

Retail Price: $8.99 (at drugstores and superstores)

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What They Say: "Totally fresh and totally smooth legs can be yours without the harsh touch of a blade. Easy to use. The unique contoured applicator allows you to quickly and evenly spread the cream for perfect coverage without using your hands. Contains aloe, vitamin E and natural soy. The moisture rich cream softens skin and removes even course, short hairs quickly. For long-lasting smoothness, use with Carefree® After Hair Removal Totally Smooth™ Daily Moisturizer."

What Melissa Says: Alrighty, then. Here's the deal. I do not have good memory associations with depilatory creams. Even Nair, with its recently updated formulations which are much less nauseatingly smelly than before, has made me feel a little icky while waiting the obligatory few minutes to get it the heck off. Yet I gritted my teeth and applied this one bravely.

Let me start by saying that the concept of squeezing the tube and spreading the lotion around without having to get your hands all over the formula was quite refreshing. One of the worst things about these types of formulas is how strangely slick your hands feel, as if the stuff has somehow stripped your fingers of something important because WHY ARE THEY SO SLICK?!? Ahem. Well, as I said, not dealing with that was a benefit. I should note, though, that squeezing just the right amount out and moving the tube at the same time in order to not lose any as it slides off your leg takes just a little extra bit of coordination, but it's not too bad.

This formula doesn't smell all that bad. I mean, yes there IS a twinge of something familiar, but it's bearable. This is something you should try in the shower and NOT the bath, as it's just a pain to balance one leg out of the water at a time while you wait in a bath, and it takes longer.

Supposedly, this formula is supposed to be great at removing even shorter hairs, so I was hopeful. The first time, I was mildly pleased, but the tiniest hairs were still there in the midst of smooth-feeling skin. Also, I noticed a bit of an itchy feeling right before I removed it at around 3 minutes. The next time and afterward, I left it on 5 minutes, but couldn't make it any longer as my skin felt so uncomfortable. (Once it was removed I never had any irritation remaining.) Even after leaving it on longer, I still felt those tiny hairs, and my legs were back to full-on-stubble after only a couple of days.

Another thing to note is that after three uses, the bottle was empty. Meh. That was a little disappointing, but I guess wouldn't be if I were hair-free longer in between uses.

I want to test the Daily Moisturizer they market to use after "shaving" a little longer, as I've only used it for about two weeks, but I do notice that hairs are softer immediately after use. I'm not sure if they'll really become less noticeable or not, but I look forward to finding out how well the moisturizer works after longer use.

My legs did feel smooth after use (most hair was removed and skin very soft), but littlest hairs remained. If you're looking for this to replace your razor, don't count on it unless you have a high tolerance for discomfort and can wait a full 10 minutes or you want to grow your hair out on your legs first (good luck looking cute in those shorts). If I could have just had slightly better luck with this - even with the itchiness and quickly-emptying tube - I would have loved to have given it a 3 out of 5 instead of a 2.

Retail Price: $7.95 (at drugstores and superstores everywhere and online at drugstore.com)

DeLush Rating: