Beauty Review: Gillette's Venus Silk-Expert

This post was sponsored by Gillette Venus as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central.  I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.  

I'm super excited to tell you guys all about Gillette's new Venus Silk-expert.  For those of you looking to try a different hair removal experience, this tool is a convenient and comfortable solution.  It features cutting edge tech that's easy to handle.  I'm all about at-home spa experiences so this device is a total must-have for me!  The Venus Silk-expert marks a milestone in IPL (intense pulsed light) systems because it has a unique SensoAdapt skin tone sensor that adjusts automatically - it delivers the right amount of light, eliminating the complicated manual color charts that other devices require.  

Y'all have no idea how excited I am to blog about this.  I first heard about IPL a year or so ago - my friend was getting married and she booked several sessions with a pro to prep herself for her honeymoon.  I remember her raving about how well it worked for her!  I wanted to try it out for myself, but I never got around to doing so because it was so freakin' expensive (think thousands of $$$).  Now, thanks to Venus, I can do it myself for a flat fee.  The full treatment cycle takes 12 weeks so I don't have final results to share yet, but I'm going to tell you guys about my experience thus far.  

First things first, it comes with one IPL device (as you can see, it's fancy looking and fits perfectly in my hand), a two-part power cord, a razor and a user manual.  I read the instructions thoroughly from front to back - if you're looking to try this baby out yourself, take the time to do so as well.  Note: this item works best on mid-to-light skin tones + darker shades of hair! If you have dark skin and light hair, this may not work as well - just giving you a heads up.

Anywho, it's important to realize that this product doesn't remove hair - its purpose is to break the cycle of hair growth so hair will become weaker, finer, lighter, and grow slower.  You start out by using this device consistently (once a week for 12 weeks), but after that, you only really have to do it once a month, maybe even less down the road.  FYI, you still have to shave in between to get stray hairs - that's why they included the razor!  

To start, I tried it on my legs.  The device delivers 120,000 pulses, and there are two power levels: normal and gentle.  It operates in target mode & gliding mode - the latter's best for large areas like your legs.  The treatment requires you to shave the area before use so I used the provided razor + gentle soap to prep.  Do not slather on lotions or the like because the area needs to be free of oils pre-treatment.  

Using the Venus Silk-expert is easy-peasy.  Simply plug the adapter into the wall, then plug in your tool. The device will light up with a blue UV light!  Remember to always keep full contact with the treated area, and be careful not to expose your eyes to the laser.  Like I mentioned previously, I used the "glide" function on my legs, and the "target" function on my ankles and knees!  If all goes well, I'll be using this baby on my underarms and bikini line.  Oh, and if you were wondering, I used the gentle setting just to be safe.  I was worried that it'd hurt, but the whole experience was totally painless.  I don't see a huge difference yet, but I've only been at it for the last 4 weeks or so.  I trust that this device will deliver, and I'm looking forward to shaving (much) less in the future.

Please let me know if you guys have any questions or concerns.  I'm here for y'all 24/7! Seriously. Don't be afraid to reach out!  The Venus Silk-expert is available online at huge retailers like Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond, and pricing starts at $399 - clicky here to try it out for yourself.  Also, there's going to be a #VenusSilkExpert twitter party on June 3rd from 12-1 PM EST hosted by @Momcentral & @GilleteVenus so make sure you guys save the date!