Three weeks. Probably TMI (so what else is new?), but that’s how long I went without shaving my legs to test the new Bliss Poetic Waxing Wax Strips Body kit ($36). 🙂
I’ve used similar kits from other brands like Sally Hansen before, but the strips included with this one are made of a loosely-woven cotton fabric called muslin, instead of cardboard or plastic. You get 36 pre-waxed strips and the tiniest, Grinch-who-stole-Christmas-sized bottle of soothing azulene oil to condition your skin and remove any remaining wax when you’re done. In addition to the muslin strips, which I find easier to grip than the smooth plastic ones that come with some other kits, the wax Bliss uses also feels slightly thicker than most.
So small!
Having tried so many waxing kits before on so many different parts of my bod, I expected the usual trubs — the strips missing a lot of hair, the wax being too sticky and hard to remove, or the kit not coming with enough strips. Basically, from kits like this one, I came to expect half-@ssed results.
So I was pleasantly surprised when the Bliss kit actually worked pretty darn great!
Sure, it may not be as effective as a hard wax, which removes even the coarsest hairs in a single pass, but for a kit designed for easy cleanup and convenience, it’s one of the better ones I’ve used.
And I think the waxed muslin strips really make a difference. Not only do they hug my curves better than the hard plastic ones do, they also remove more hair. They’re not perfect, but I’d guess they grab about 50% more hairs than the Sally Hansen strips per pass.
From my experience, the strips can be used about three passes each, sometimes four. To remove the hair from my ankles up to my knees (aka the half-leg wax), I go through about 10 strips.
With 36 strips per kit, that’s about three half-leg waxes, or $12 per job — much cheaper than the $30 I’d probably pay at a salon. Factor in your time (10 minutes at home, versus at least 30 minutes at the salon, not including travel time) and tip, and that makes the kit look like a better deal.
It also comes with directions, but here are a few quick suggestions to hopefully improve your results…
- Use a hair dryer — Warming the strips between my palms takes forever! To save time, I aim my hairdryer at each strip (set on low) for about 10 seconds to heat it up, and then place the strip on my leg while the wax is soft and warm.
- Massage like it’s your job! — Bliss recommends massaging the strips in the same direction that the hairs lie before pulling them off. I’ve found that the more vigorously I massage the strips, the more hair they remove, so prepare to rub-a-dub-dub like cray-cray!
- Pull the underlying skin taut — Typically, the hair on my legs grows downward, so before I pull away one of the strips, I also gently pull the skin around it downward (in the same direction) to make it taught. Then, I peel the strip from the bottom up in the opposite direction with a swift, smooth pull. For me, this way seems to remove the most hair.
Oh, you can also use these strips on other parts of your bod. Just cut them down to size with a pair of scissors beforehand if you need to. I’ve also used these on my bikini line and upper lip. 🙂
They didn’t work quite as well on my bikini line, though, only getting about half of the hairs per pull, but full disclosure — I’m, like, hella hairy at the moment because I didn’t do much upkeep last winter. I bet the strips would work just fine for regular touch-ups between bikini waxes.
They did much better on my upper lip, where they dominated the Sally Hansen strips I’ve been using for the past few years. They removed even the finest hairs in the very first pass.
I definitely plan to use this kit again, and again. It’s almost everything I want it to be — quick, convenient and effective — if I had my way, the only things I’d change are the price ($26 sounds more reasonable) and the size of the tiny bottle of azulene oil.
Um, is it gross that I get a weird thrill from seeing all of the hair that these strips remove? Wait, maybe you shouldn’t answer that. 🙂
PRICE: $36
AVAILABILITY: Available exclusively at Sephora stores and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A (works great, but it is a little pricey compared to drugstore kits)
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Ariana says
May 26th, 2011 at 4:55 pmFrom telling us how long you went without waxing to Hunger Games, to Game of Thrones your awesomeness never ceases to amaze me. Wow this is an awkward comment whatever 😀
Karen says
May 26th, 2011 at 8:18 pmLOL! Thanks Ariana. 🙂
Tally says
May 26th, 2011 at 5:43 pmI tried hunger games bc of this site and became a hermit and did not leave my room for THREE DAYS lol until I finished reading the whole series!
Also – thanks for the hairdryer tip, Karen!! Great idea! I work out a lot, but sometimes I get tired rubbing those strips between my hands super fast haha!
Karen says
May 26th, 2011 at 8:18 pmHi Tally,
YAY! I’m really glad to hear you liked the Hunger Games. It was the same way for me! Once I picked up the books I couldn’t put ’em down. 🙂 Are you excited about the movie?
Sweet, the hairdryer tip will save you so much time. What brand of strips do you like, btw?
natalie says
May 26th, 2011 at 5:43 pmis the ouch factor any different, the hair on my lip neverrrrrr wants to go so i usually thread my lip and chin since it’s an awkward place but oh lorddd does it hurt!!!
Karen says
May 26th, 2011 at 8:16 pmI wish it was less painful, but alas, it feels the same.
Sometimes I take two Advil an hour or so before I wax. That seems to make it hurt less. Also, the “time of the month” seems to come into play too. The days before Aunt Flo visits are the worst for me, so I time it so I can wax afterwards.
steph b says
May 26th, 2011 at 5:46 pmI’ve been wondering about these. Definitely going to check them out. The Veet strips also come on something that feels sort of fabric-y but still plastic (I think). Looks similar to these.
Karen says
May 26th, 2011 at 8:13 pmI didn’t know Veet had a kit like this. I’ll have to hunt it down.
Raquel says
May 26th, 2011 at 6:26 pmdoes it do a good job removing your upper lip? because whenever i buy the drugstore ones, it doesn’t really do a good job… so i end up just going to my local waxing/threading place, but im still searching for THE at home alternative…
Karen says
May 26th, 2011 at 8:13 pmHi Racquel,
Yes, it sure does. It takes everything off. I used the Sally Hansen drugstore one, and this works way better. All you have to do is cut the strips down to size before you warm ’em up. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Vijaya says
May 26th, 2011 at 7:08 pmI remember having something exactly the same as this for much cheaper.
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Karen says
May 26th, 2011 at 8:12 pmInteresting!
productdoctor says
May 26th, 2011 at 7:48 pmI’m not man enough to do my own waxing, but if I were this kit sounds perfect for the job!
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Karen says
May 26th, 2011 at 8:12 pmYou should try it sometime. It’s actually pretty easy!
Ada says
May 26th, 2011 at 8:12 pmHahah I have the same gross satisfaction/thrill with pore pads! They look so weird and grody and fascinating after removing all that gunk!
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Karen says
May 26th, 2011 at 8:36 pmI don’t use those but I could see why they’d be thrilling, LOL!
S says
May 26th, 2011 at 8:46 pmThanks for the review! I’ve been using Moom for the body (sugar wax – works great on underarms!) and Parissa wax strips for brows, but may have to give Bliss a try now…I’ve always been curious about their Poetic wax mug! Just a note though – Parissa’s wax strips come with a big bottle of azulene oil, if you ever are considering trying something else.
Karen says
May 27th, 2011 at 8:25 amI’m curious about their Poetic Waxing Mug too!
And yeah, props to Parissa for always giving out those huge bottles of oil. I used their sugar wax before and liked it.
Jasmine H. says
May 26th, 2011 at 10:37 pmThanks for the review Karen, I’ve been looking for some good at home wax kits to use before my trip to Vegas in June.. so I must try these! AND I also just wanted to take the time to say I really appreciate how you take the time to write everyone back, you don’t see that on a lot of blogs these days.. so thank you! you are very much appreciated 😉
Karen says
May 27th, 2011 at 8:23 amHi Jasmine,
Thank *you* for taking the time out of your day to leave a comment. I know everyone’s busy and got a lot going on, so I really appreciate it. 🙂
Have a great Friday!
Wendy says
May 26th, 2011 at 11:04 pmThanks. I just ordered a gigi bikini hard wax kit two days ago. I’ll have to check out the wax strips since I’m not sure if I want to use that particular hard wax on my face. The salon that I’ve been going to uses hard wax for the face. But, I’m thinking they use a different hard waxes depending on the area being waxed.
Karen says
May 27th, 2011 at 8:22 amHi Wendy,
You’ll have to let me know if that Gigi Hard Wax is any good. 🙂
I’ve been waxing my upper lip hair for years, and I usually use wax strips. This one’s really good for that area! It takes off everything.
Sophie says
May 28th, 2011 at 10:08 amI use GiGi Hard Wax and love it!! It works very well for me.
Advah says
May 27th, 2011 at 1:50 amThe hairdryer tip is sheer genius! I have one of those kits from a French supermarket, and while they work great the properly warming up the strips thing makes a big difference. Hairdryer is so much easier than rubbing them between my hands like I did!
It also helps to wax on clean, dry skin. The wax won’t stick as much if your skin is covered in moisturiser (at least in my experience).
I’m still terrified of bringing anything like that close to my upper lip though. 😕
Karen says
May 27th, 2011 at 8:21 amGood call on waxing on clean, dry skin. A little baby powder on the skin before waxing helps, too.
Kim says
May 27th, 2011 at 5:30 amI’m a shaver, rather than a waxer, but have had waxing done (and watched a kazillion demonstrations at trade shows). Totally agree that the muslin beats plastic, hands down. The hair dryer is also much more effective than warming between your palms. I’m sure you know this, but after applying it and rubbing vigorously to really press it into the skin/hair, if you give it a couple of minutes to cool down, it hardens around the hair and will pull out almost every one. You also hit the nail on the head with pulling the skin taut first. Then, off quickly like a band aid! 🙂 For serious waxers, GiGi makes some good stuff and you can pick it up at Sally’s. But you do have to warm, spread, press muslin over it and rip off.
Karen says
May 27th, 2011 at 8:19 amYup, yup! I wait for a while to let the wax cool when I have time.
BTW, I have another shaving review coming up soon… which means I have to grow out my hair again, yikes.
What have you used from Gigi? I tried their Honey wax once and didn’t really like it.
Kajal Couture says
May 27th, 2011 at 5:37 amI like that the wax is pink. I have only ever used hard wax or gotten it done in a salon. I might have to try these out!
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Karen says
May 27th, 2011 at 8:17 amHard wax rocks! Love how it takes off everything!
Nina says
May 27th, 2011 at 7:11 amim scared to use it but im sooo very curious too!
Karen says
May 27th, 2011 at 8:17 amIt’s actually really easy. Have you gotten waxed before? I’d say the pain factor is lowest on the legs, medium on the upper lip and highest along the bikini line. You could start by doing your shins first…
Trude says
May 27th, 2011 at 8:19 amSince pretty much everything I wear is knee length or longer, I’m thinking doing this would save me some serious shaving time! 🙂 My mom swears by their facial waxing kit, this would be great doing double-duty.
Linnea says
May 27th, 2011 at 9:51 amI’ve been looking for good waxing kits lately.. I’ve heard a lot of good things about bliss. Its a little weird that they only have a body and a face kit.. especially since this didn’t do too great with the bikini line Karen!
I might still have to try this out.. but I wish they had a bikini kit (because I’m hairy too Karen, I’m hairy too..)
Madison says
May 27th, 2011 at 11:37 amI’ve been using Bliss Poetic cup for a year now..being a busy mom, I have to do it at home. I definitely find it very cost efficient (I am still going through the same cup, becasue wax is reusable and you do get A LOT. It is much better than similar drug store kits for face/eye brows..It takes some practice, though, especially with a right amount of wax needed to do the job.
Christy says
May 27th, 2011 at 12:30 pmHow long are you hairless for? I’ve never tried at-home waxing kits but am considering giving this a chance depending on how often I’d have to do it… Thanks!
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Marie says
May 27th, 2011 at 2:22 pmLOL, I feel your pain. I’m hella hairy too right now, and I just scheduled a bikini appt…but I’m thinking I want to buy a box of this for upkeep.
It’s funny because if you ever tried the original Poetic Waxing kit, it’s annoying and inconvenient and takes FOREVER to do and clean up. So when I saw your post I was like YEAH RIGHT NEVER AGAIN. But maybe I’ll buy them from Sephora and give them a try…gotta love that bottom-of-the-jar return policy!
Thanks as always, Karen!
Lucie says
May 27th, 2011 at 3:26 pmToo much work and $$ for me! I’ve been practicing being more at peace with my body lately, haven’t shaved legs or pits or anthing else in months except before prom…wasn’t quite courageous enough to throw my hands up on the dancefloor wearing a sleeveless dress and bushes under my pits. But I’ll get there and channel Amanda Palmer at the Golden Globes when I do. xD
Masi says
May 29th, 2011 at 10:37 pmI lol’d at the end bc I also enjoy watching all the hair my wax strips have removed! Haha.. I use the veet strips and they work pretty darn good.. Not so great in the bikini area tho