Goodbye waxing—this facial hair remover is a game-changer

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This whole thing all started when I decided to shave my face.

To be clear, plenty of women shave their faces for a number of reasons. In my case, I’m a 20-something woman with a passion for skincare, and my experimentation came from a desire to improve my skin’s texture. When I was in high school, I had cystic acne, which left my skin with some pitting from the scars. Between that, occasional dry and flaky skin, and light blond peach fuzz, texture is one of my main skin concerns. I typically wear a medium-to-full coverage foundation to give me an even skin tone, but bumps, dry patches, and fine hair can’t be masked simply with foundation. In fact, a lot of liquid and powder makeup emphasizes texture issues because, well, you’re adding more textures to your skin with each layer.

One day, I had a brilliant idea: I’ll shave my face to eliminate the peach fuzz—one less variable. A friend recommended the Finishing Touch Flawless, an electric facial hair remover, which she uses to remove stray hairs on her upper lip and below her eyebrows. (Her grandmother had bought it for her at CVS, but you may have seen an infomercial about this product.) When I saw the tool on sale at Ulta, I decided that was the day to try my shaving experiment. (It’s also available on Amazon or at stores like Walgreens and Walmart, either in the beauty or “as seen on TV” section.)

The tool removes all unwanted facial hair

The shaving process consisted of me sitting at my vanity and staring into my mirror for about 20 minutes, while slowly tracing the device’s quarter-sized head in small circles across the surface of my cheeks, forehead, and chin. You could probably spend a lot less time, but I was meticulous and periodically stopped to evaluate my progress. I also took a minute to text the friend who recommended the product with a picture of my face halfway through, with one side still about 1.5 millimeters deep in peach fuzz.

It’s easy to use and non-irritating

The great thing about the tool is that it's gentle on all skin types. The wand is not sharp, so it won’t nick or pierce the skin as it removes hair. As you graze your skin in circular motions, hair feeds into the wand and is pared down by a spinning head. Oh, and the 18K gold-plated tool has a built-in light that makes it easy to see and remove hair. I expected a little irritation afterward, but was pleasantly surprised that my skin looked and felt calm.

It won’t cause the hair to grow back thicker or darker

It’s worth noting that a deterrent from shaving the finest hairs on the face is the belief that the hair will come back thicker and darker. According to the Mayo Clinic, hair typically tapers off at the end, and when it is bluntly cut, such as with a razor, the hair appears darker and thicker than we are used to. But the hair on my face grew back within a week or two just as blond and fuzzy as it was before, not any darker or coarser.

It’s easy to clean and store

Once you’re done "shaving," you can twist the wand head off and see the hair in the chamber. I dumped the hair into the trash and washed the chamber with soap and water before putting the wand head, which I also washed, back on. I keep the tool in my makeup drawer as it’s slim and compact.

The cons are easy to overlook

I’m someone who thinks everything should be rechargeable. Replaceable batteries? Archaic. This tool requires one AA battery, which is included in the package. I would prefer it be USB compatible, but am glad it is at least cordless during use. What's more, it’s difficult to open the battery chamber. Finally, the Finishing Touch Flawless facial hair remover is not noiseless. It’s no louder than an electric shaver or toothbrush, but it makes a similar buzzing sound that announces you’re doing…something.

Is it worth it?

Yes! A friend recommended this to me and I’m recommending it to you, so now we’re friends. That’s how this works, right? (As your new friend, I won’t steer you wrong.) If you’re looking to remove facial hair instantly and painlessly without harming your skin, this works wonders. You can also use it on your arms, knuckles, or elsewhere, though it’s probably too small to effectively remove unwanted hair from large areas, and the small cutting blades work better on finer hair. The company also makes a smaller version specifically for brows and a larger version to use all over the body, but I haven’t tested these.

This tool was not a magic eraser for all my texture issues but my skin looks much smoother sans peach fuzz.

Get the Finishing Touch Flawless Electric Facial Hair Remover at Amazon for $19.99

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