Sunday 2 June 2013

Louis Marcel Crystal Gel Body Wax Strips

RRP: £6.18/20 strips
retails at HealthCounter and Fragrance Direct; also available on eBay

--What does the promo say?--
"Louis Marcel Crystal Gel Strip Wax is a salon style cold wax like treatment for use at home, in safe, easy and ready to use pre-coated strips. Unwanted hair is removed down to and including roots, so regrowth does not normally occur for up to six weeks, and hair regrowth will appear finer and less obvious."

--Packaging--
The wax strips are transparent, showing a pale pink translucent wax ready for use on the strips. The pink and white cardboard box also contains a sachets of oil to remove excess wax and to soothe the treated area after waxing. Much is made on the box of the product's floral ingredients thanks to the large pink flower motif - among the ingredients are camellia, rosemary and geranium.

--Application--
Rub the strips between your hands briefly to warm the wax. Peel the strips apart before laying one down on the skin in the direction of the hair growth. Holding the skin taut, pull the strip off quickly against the direction of the hair growth. The strip can be used repeatedly until it is no longer effective (although I personally didn't fancy trying this, as what comes out on a wax strip always looks so gross!). This is all pretty easy and even relatively painless (although I have pretty low sensitivity when it comes to waxing the armpit area, so this will probably vary between individuals) :)

--Appearance--
The nice thing about the translucent pink wax - apart from looking pretty - is that even if you were to miss getting off all of the excess wax after use, it wouldn't show, as it's practically invisible. The balm oil wipes also don't leave any visible residue on the skin.

--Scent--
Perhaps slightly floral, but nothing too overbearing.

--Texture and consistency--
The wax is non-irritating and skin is left with a smooth, moisturised finish thanks to the combination of the wax ingredients and the balm oil wipes.

--Effects on the skin--
While the wax strips removed an impressive amount, they didn't remove *everything* (ugh, sorry) on the one time through that I used the wax strips. The brand does recommend that hair is 4-5mm long for best results, though, so if you have left it longer than this, or not been patient enough, then it's unsurprising that it would take longer or require the use of more strips to get a perfect result. However, it's really not bad for a home kit (I've used worse) and this could help people to feel much more confident about waxing at home.

--Value for money--
As promised, this is fast and simple to use, as well as being (at least relatively or partially) effective, which is already a good start. However, true value for money will depend on what's on offer in your area, and on your own priorities - I can get my armpits waxed for €4 a time, so an RRP of closer to €8 or €9 a box would require some consideration for me. It would depend how many wax strips I needed to use each time and how I prioritize doing this myself at home vs somebody else doing it for me, faster. You should also shop around, as several websites offer this below the RRP, which naturally increases value for money. Generally, though, a product I would recommend.

perfect partners
Hair Removal Cream for Face and Bikini Line, £4.38 
Hair Removal Mousse, £3

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