LADY@LXG: Loving the world's first facial epilator by BRAUN!

How is it that women with moustaches are able to convince themselves that the the thick carpet of hair on their upper-lip is not really that noticeable? 
I have actually had hair-pullingly frustrating conversations with highly educated women in high powered careers, who have convinced themselves that they either do not have a moustache - its simply a case of shadows caused by their nose or the direction of the

sun or light source (I kid you not) or, that the hair on their upper lip is so delicate and fine, that its barely noticeable, when in fact, its so darn thick, they could give most men a run for their money. 

Personally, I am very into grooming. In fact, as far as I am concerned, a woman should only have hair on her head, eyebrows and lashes (and private-bits, should she choose to do so). Anywhere else, is just not attractive nor particularly hygienic. 

Before you start labelling me an anti-feminist, let me say that I am all for women's rights, and grooming oneself does not make a woman less of a feminist, nor does a thick matt of armpit hair signify that you are a spokesperson for Women's Lib. Because grooming is all about self-respect and it doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman, hairy legs and short skirts, just don't work, period.

I usually have my brows and upper-lip threaded weekly. I love threading because its fast, precise and leaves me looking clean and groomed, but its not exactly convenient or economical, which is why, I was so excited when BRAUN sent me their Braun Face. 

With 10 micro-openings for super-efficient epilation, Braun Face keeps you fuzz-free for up to four weeks. Epilation with Braun Face is also 200 times faster than manual tweezers and can remove hairs four times shorter than traditional waxing (these are not empty claims. The gadget can actually wrench out, even the teeniest hairs without the pain usually associated with tweezing). The epilator also provides a gentle experience and more precise results than alternative epilators. In seconds, it gives you smooth, hair-free skin that lasts for weeks and makes you actually look like a woman again!

Braun Face is very easy to use. Just a few swipes across your upper lip, and even the most minuscule hairs are gone, the best part, its not painful. This actually surprised me, 'cos I expected it to hurt a bit, like tweezing or threading, but for some reason, it doesn't. Its far less painful, so if  you are afraid of pain, this little beauty is for you! Just be careful when epilating your brows, because its easy to lose control, especially if its your first time using it, and you can end up losing an eyebrow. I accidentally removed a part of my brow, which did not do much for my looks, but it was totally my fault for getting a little too excited with the gadget on the first try. 

I love how beautiful and slim the epilator is. Its seriously so compact and light-weight, I can pop it into my bag and take it wherever I go. In fact, I love BRAUN, cos even my regular epilator is by them and its a gadget that I totally can't live without! I also love the fact that it comes with a detachable facial brush head, which means that when I travel, I only need to pack one gadget, which will keep me looking groomed and cleansed with little effort. 

Braun Face retails at $99 and is available in Singapore at all major electrical chain stores, departmental stores, leading hypermarkets and independent electrical stores. 

For more information, visit their website at: http://www.braun.com. 

Or join them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/braunsingapore.

LIFESTYLE@LXG: Hello to the Market's Most Cutting Edge Electric Shaver!

Breakthrough Series 9 with SyncroSonic TMTechnology: 

World’s best electric shaver in efficiency and skin comfort – proven on 3-day beards.

Outstanding performance in efficiency and skin comfort: The synergy of four specially designed cutting elements, multiplied by the power of Sonic technology, shaves so fast that your skin doesn’t even have time to get irritated. 

On the 29th of May 2015, Braun unveiled the all new Series 9 – the world’s most efficient and comfortable electric shaver, said to remove more hair in the first stroke, than any other shaver – proven on 3-day beards (and if you are hirsute like me, thats not an easy feat). This sleek machine claims to deliver maximum performance in fewer strokes, without compromising on skin comfort. 

Its breakthrough SyncroSonicTM cutting system made of four fully synergized elements, gives us oft neglected men, the most sophisticated and intelligent Braun shave experience yet. Braun’s most advanced shaver head cuts through every type of hair so fast that skin doesn’t even have time to get irritated (okay this is sounding like a machine that I need to get my hands on stat!). The Series 9, a combination of superior cutting performance with utmost efficiency, enables the user to navigate even the most challenging areas of skin and neck effortlessly. 

The tech-breakthrough: Four lifting, trimming and cutting elements in full synergy...

The secret behind the new fully flexible SyncroSonicTM shaving head is technology that gets the job done with fewer strokes and reduced pressure on the skin. 

While other shavers need to go over the same spot several times to achieve a perfect result, the four elements apparently work seamlessly together to capture every type of hair – in less strokes.

The HyperLift&Cut Trimmer and the Direct&Cut Trimmer lift, direct, trim and cut problematic facial hair. The first takes on flat-lying hairs, while the latter specifically grabs and shaves hairs growing in different directions. They work in perfect synchronisation with two OptiFoilTM shaving foils, which cut the hairs as close to the skin as possible. This highly precise and harmonic ‘teamplay’ reduces the need to shave problem areas like the neck over and over again, minimizing the risk that top layers of the skin get cut during shaving, which is the most common reason for shaving- induced skin irritation. Together, the four cutting elements work efficiently; they master every type of hair, every part of the face, every contour – leaving a man’s skin stubble-free, soft and smooth. 

The SyncroSonicTM shaver head is driven by the powerful Linear Drive motor, which is the best Braun has ever produced, generating 10,000 sonic micro vibrations and delivering 40,000 cross-cutting actions every minute.

This shaver succeeds naturally in the hardest torture test, trimming and shaving dense, 3-day beards with less friction, less irritation and less burning than ever before. 

The Braun Series 9 is available at all major electrical chain stores, departmental stores and independent electrical stores in two models, 9040s and 9090cc. The recommended retail prices for 9040s and 9090cc are $499 and $599 respectively.  

LIFESTYLE@LXG: TS takes the Braun Cruzer 6 for a test drive

I am often told I need to shave more. My reply is often a mumbled apology about time and a fear of having my face ripped to shreds by dull blades. All right, I maybe exaggerating slightly when I say rip my face to shreds, but let's be honest here; getting nicked while shaving is probably the third worst thing that can happen to you before you leave the house every morning. The first two being constipation and diarrhea in no particular order. 

So when I was offered a chance to review the Braun Cruzer 6, I was interested but not really hopeful. I had tried electric shavers before and they were not good. I looked unshaved and the shavers usually irritated my skin. So with trepidation I decided to give it a try. I've had it for about a week now and here's how it has been so far. 

Day One:

I had shaved the day before, so I only had a short bristles. It was time to test the claims that the Cruzer gives you a smooth clean shave, even removing the the 5pm shadow that Asians never ever get. 

The result was surprising quite decent. Usually it takes around a week or two to get used to an electric shaver, however the Braun Cruzer was amazing easy to use and I had a smooth shave (impressed but still skeptical. Maybe this was a one off?). 

Day Four:

Skip ahead a few days and here I am with thicker beard and an unofficial warning from HR about maintaining professional standards (I seriously can't believe they did not accept that I had to grow my face hair for a review). Ok, let's see how well the Braun Cruzer does on my longer, thicker and generally bushier beard and mustache. 

Personally, I prefer to dry shave, though Braun has the awesome option of a wet or dry shave, so if you're strapped for time, you can always shower and shave at the same time.  

After three passes of the shaver, my hairy beard was a thing of the past. I was a little sad to be honest cos I had kind of grown attached to my fuzz, but feelings be damned, I had a review to write. 

This time I was able to test it more thoroughly and see how well it shaved the contours of my face. And I must say, my jaw line has never felt so smooth before (the girl friend was most appreciative too!)

I'm going to skip the next week or so, because it is safe to say that the shaver works well and I also don't want to piss off HR any more than necessary. 

The Braun Cruzer is awesome and I am a believer. Though I probably should mention the styler or as I like to call it the sideburn trimmer. You can slide up a trimmer that allows you to maintain your sideburns and if required trim your facial hair rather than shave it all off. 

To those of you who can actually grow a lot of facial hair and think thin beards and mustaches are uber cool, you're most welcome.

The Braun Cruzer 6

The Braun Cruzer retails at S$119 and is available at all major retailers.

You can find out more about the product on the Braun website: http://www.braun.com/global/male-grooming/cruzer-shavers-and-trimmers/cruzer-cleanshave.html Or join Braun’s facebook page for great giveaways and tips: BRAUN

LADY@LXG: I ‘heart’ my new Braun Satin-Hair 5 dryer HD 510

I have finally (after more than 30 years) come to realize that there are no bad hair days, just bad hair tools! 

After having existed my entire life on this planet without ever having owned a hair dryer (much to my stylist’s dismay), I was handed a snazzy looking new model from Braun. To this day, I don’t know why Braun chose me of all people to test-drive their new dryer, especially since I hadn’t the foggiest clue as to how to use the thing. I suspect it was my post on Shiseido where I featured a ‘before and after’ photo of my hair, which was when I finally realized that I had spent the past three decades fooling myself that my hair looked awesome from every angle.

So after admiring my sleek new Braun Satin-Hair 5 dryer HD 510 for a few days, I decided to visit my stylist who promptly dropped to his knees and thanked the heavens for this blessing (I honestly don’t know why I stick with him, what with all his overly dramatic gestures and sarcasm) and promptly gave me a “hair drying for dummies” tutorial.

Its been a month and I have dried my hair almost daily (if I am not leaving the confines of my house I just let it drip dry). The beautiful thing is so easy to use. It is lightweight, not too hot, has a funky green light that releases ions and keeps my hair shiny and pretty - and best of all, my hair actually looks groomed and sleek and does not turn up on one side and inwards on the other.

I seriously love my Braun Satin-Hair 5 dryer HD 510. If I had more space in my house, I would build a display case for it and admire it upon waking every day. At the moment, I store it in it’s nice box in my cupboard together with my Ferragamo bag. 

I am big enough to admit that I was an idiot to not get a hair dryer sooner. But more importantly, I think its important to get the right dryer, as opposed to any old model you see in the store.

I love my Braun Satin-Hair 5 dryer HD 510, not just because its so sexy, sleek and black and has a funky green ion light, but also because;

Unlike other heat stylers which increase the risk of static build up, my new Braun Satin-Hair 5 dryer HD 510 helps eliminate this effect. It’s unique ion technology (the funky green light) acts like a natural moisturizer during drying, taming frizz and static and leaving one’s hair gorgeously shiny and smooth. Because every individual hair is unique, the Satin-Hair 5 dryer has 3 heat and 2 airflow settings that can be adjusted separately to match the needs and requirements of your hair type and styling preferences. The calibrated fan technology distributes the heat evenly so that your hair gets dried efficiently without drying out.  

The Cold Shot function (which I have yet to use) allows you to cool your hair and set your style in place. The cold shot also protects, preventing the heat from remaining in your hair longer than necessary. The heat may go, but the style will last longer.  

If you are looking for an awesome hair dryer, you have to get yourself the Braun Satin-Hair 5 dryer HD 510 which retails at just $99.

LADY@LXG: The Braun Silk-épil 7 SkinSpa experience

My new obsession..

After many years of epilating my nether regions and under arms, my poor epilator bid this world adieu and died on me mid epilation (yes you read right, it died in the midst of epilating me, so my hairs were still stuck in the mechanism). After wrenching it off my hairs, I was in quite a tizzy about which epilator I should get to replace old faithful.

Thankfully I didn’t have to think too long as Braun were kind enough to send me their Silk-épil 7 SkinSpa. This little beauty is the female equivalent to the Braun CoolTec shaver. Not only is it an epilator, it is also an exfoliator, can be used both wet and dry and even has a detachable electrical shaver head and trimmer (how much more awesome can this little gadget get?)

Ok so I test drove each of the attachments, and here are my views:

SkinSpa’s epilator head: 

My favourite part about this section is that it comes with a very handy (can’t believe I ever epilated without it in the past?!) little Smartlight. Basically, as soon as you switch the epilator on, a little light pops on and literally illuminates every single hair, making it so easy to ensure that you get a perfectly smooth finish. 

I used it both in and out of water and it works. If you are an epilator virgin, please note that it hurts, like waxing does, cos epilating is essentially removing the hair at the root. The advantage of this method is that you will remain hair free longer (think 1-2 weeks) and newer hairs (after prolonged use) are usually finer. 

I have very fine hairs on my arms and legs which my usual epilator could never reach, but this little beauty did. Although it didn’t remove 100% of my fine hairs, it gave me a very clean finish when I epilated my bikini area and boy did that Smartlight come in handy there!

SkinSpa’s exfoliation brush:

I am so into exfoliating. I have numerous body scrubs, loofahs and natural fiber body brushes, so I was super thrilled to give the exfoliating brush a go. At the end of the day, just like in the case of our face, there is really no point investing a fortune on your skin care if your skin is coated in dead cells, which is why exfoliation is a daily must-do!

I must say, that I love this feature cos none of my exfoliators do the job for me, I usually have to put some effort into manually scrubbing myself, but this cute little things swirls away by itself and my skin looks all glowing and soft after! 

Skin Spa's Shaving head and trimmer:

Have you ever made the mistake of shaving your bikini area cos you were just too lazy or tied for time to get it waxed? Did you them itch your skin off a few days later when the hair started to grow out? Well I did. My advice, don’t EVER shave your nether regions, the grow back is torture!

Well anyway, I was a bit concerned about putting myself through that torture again, but heck, I had already epilated my leg and arm, hair off so I didn’t have that many options. The shaver is great. Its fast, very gentle (especially around the delicate bits) and the best part?? There is absolutely NO itching when the hair grows back. I am so impressed. I don’t know why this is the case, but I don’t care, I am just so thankful I wont have to rip my skin off itching again.

I love the fact that this is cordless cos my old one wasn’t. Its beautifully designed, ergonomic and a joy to hold and use. If I had to choose just ONE feature, what would it be? I love them all, but If I was forced at gun point, I would choose the Smartlight, cos it really illuminates the area and makes epilating so much more efficient.

The Braun Silk-épil 7 SkinSpa retails at $219 and will be available at all major electrical chain stores, departmental stores, selected hypermarkets and independent electrical stores. 

Join Braun on facebook for more promotions and giveaways :  www.facebook.com/braunsingapore

Stay tuned because I will be giving away this little beauty to ONE lucky winner in January!