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)

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