Is it just me or is there another “revolutionary” new makeup product introduced every freaking day?! Just walking into Ulta or Sephora (or even Walgreens!) sends many chicas into fits of hysteria, reaching for the nearest brown bag to regulate their breathing. It’s all so overwhelming.

So how can you know which product – among the sea of thousands – is the best? Which does what you need it to do? Which ones are worth the extra money? Let me help. I don’t know every beauty product out there, but I’ve tested a lot of them and I’ll let you know which are worth the money and which are not.

(Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review purposes)

What it is: Shobha Sugaring Kit

Why this should be in your bag:
Smooth skin is an essential part of looking your best. Most women that I know shave unwanted hair, but that can be really annoying. Not only do you have to do it every single day, but shaved hair usually grows back thicker and coarser than before. Sugaring is a great option for easy hair removal and is definitely my method of choice. I find it much less painful than waxing (pro!) and this formula by Shobha is all-natural and “free of parabens, dyes, fragrances, petrols, resins & waxes” (major pro!).

How to use it:
The kit comes with great, detailed instructions, but here is a rough rundown. First, your hair in the area must be at least 1/4 inch long. That means, your legs or armpits are going to be nasty for a week, but it’s worth it in the end! Once you’re ready to wax, heat it up in the microwave. I find 30 seconds is usually perfect. Make sure the area is nice and dry and apply the Talc-Free Powder. Then, spread the wax on, in the direction of hair growth, and rub a Denim Strip on top. After rubbing the strip down for a minute or so, pull the skin taut and pull of the strip in the opposite direction of hair growth. At first, you may have to go over an area a couple times to fully remove the hair. One of the best parts about this kit is simple clean-up; the all-natural wax dissolves in warm water.

CC Rating: A+
I loved using the Shobha Sugaring Kit. Not only did it successfully remove unwanted hair, but it was virtually painless. It’s compact and easy-to-store, and only requires a microwave and sink, making it totally dorm-friendly. I’ve been using this kit now for about a month and have noticed significantly finer hair in the areas that I’m sugaring. I can’t wait to keep using and seeing results. Another great thing about this kit is that it’s all-natural so you won’t get any funky reactions or side-effects like you can with drugstore waxing kits.

I highly recommend the Shobha Sugaring Kit for keeping your skin silky smooth!

Let me just tell you: I hate hair. I hate finding it in clumps in the shower, I hate it in boys’ armpits (and really hate it in girls’) and I hate it anywhere on my body except for my head. Even still, I’ve yet to go to a professional to yank off my unwanted foliage. Shaving is a major pain in my arse, but I’m just really scared of getting waxed.

Help, I’m torn!

Love it: It’s the summer, so clearly we’re all showing a lot more skin than usual. Whether you’re keeping smooth for a specific hottie or you just want to look perfect in a bikini, hair removal is a must. Waxing lasts a lot longer than shaving, which sounds like heaven to this compulsive hair remover. My shower is tiny, so it’s extremely difficult to get my shave on. Plus, I love the idea of getting worked on by a professional. Whether you’re getting a manicure, changing your ‘do, or, in this case, getting your legs waxed, going to a salon always makes you feel classy.

Loathe it: Um, duh, waxing hurts! Like most people (besides those crazy S&M peeps), I’m not a fan of pain. I’m the kind of girl who used to run around the examining room to escape getting a booster shot at the pediatrician and nearly passed out when I got my ears pierced. Though I’ve clearly matured since then, I still try to avoid pain at all costs and I’m not going to pay someone to torture me with hot wax. I’m also not really into the idea of letting my hair grow past the stubble phase in order to be waxed – that’s just disgusting. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the numerous yoga-like positions required for an in-depth Brazilian. Do I need some stranger getting her hands near me in a downward dog? I think not.

So seriously, guys – it’s summer and I want to look good. Should I walk my little legs over to a salon to get waxed, or stick to my traditional shaving routine?

I am a firm believer that there is nothing worse on this earth than the pain of having a large patch of hair torn out of my bikini line. I’ve had many bikini waxes over the course of my lifetime (I’m a Jew – we’re hairy people!) and as much as I try, I cannot get through one without letting out a blood curdling scream. Poor Russian wax lady always feels so guilty.

Still, I keep going back for more.

Or less. Hair, that is.

The Brazilian, thanks to Samantha on Sex and the City, has become my wax of choice.  As most women would agree (and those of you who don’t really need to reconsider), having a little forest poke out of my bathing suit/undies/mini skirt is not my idea of hot. A tiny landing strip – regardless how painful – is.

Perhaps I should reconsider. According to an article on the Huffington Post, “Genital waxing can be dangerous in that the hot wax can irritate or

tear delicate skin in the bikini area, resulting in infections.” In fact, two New Jersey women have recently sued in response to serious injuries downtown caused by a brazilian. I won’t go into details because I just ate lunch, but let’s just say it was gross.

And now Brazilians may be banned in New Jersey.

I understand that this is a pubic public safety concern, but people are angry! Salon owners, who would lose a lot of business with this ban, are outraged. I imagine the men who have to interact with a woman’s southern hemisphere are pretty pissed, too. And Diddy! What is he supposed to do?

I don’t know about you, but if I want my skin ripped off monthly in the name of hairless beauty, that’s my choice. New Jersey can’t tell me what I do with my nether-regions!

Let’s hope this doesn’t catch on; I don’t think I’m ready to do this one on my own.

[Make-up is wonderful, but it can also be confusing. There are so many shades and colors and sheens and reasons to wear it that a girl can get completely lost attempting to find what fits her face best. What’s the best blush color for a redhead? How do you really put on lip-liner? Is there such a thing as too much eyeshadow?

In this weekly series, actress / model and fabulous CC blogger, Jen, will be using her make-up know how to teach us all how to look flawless in class, out at a party, or grabbing coffee with that cutie from Psych 101.]

I don’t know about you, but I tend to leave my eyebrows up to the professionals. I either overpluck, underpluck, or somehow end up with brows resembling my dad’s. But eyebrow waxes/threading/professional maintenance gets expensive! That is why this week Jen is here to tell us everything we need to know about getting our brows looking perfect without weekly trips to the spa.

We all know we don’t want hair down there, but red bumps; not really the look I am going for. Not to mention the in-grown hairs, the itchiness, or all the other problems that come with taking care of the situation. As if getting our bodies bikini-ready wasn’t challenging enough – now we are stuck with what is often times a force to be reckoned with: Bikini Hair Removal.

So in efforts to prepare you to grin and bare it this summer (hey, you didn’t spend all that time doing extra crunches for nothing, lady!) here are some pro/cons on the latest – as well as the tried and true – hair removal tips for your bikini line.

Shaving:

Pros: This method is great if you are in a pinch. It’s quick, easy and cheap.

Cons: Shaving only removes the hair above the surface, so hair can show up again the very same day (thank your foreign, hairy grandmother for inheriting her genes). Shaving often times leads to in-growns and those icky razor bumps. If you choose to go this route: hold skin taught while shaving, change the razor often, and trim before shaving, if needed. Also, shave in the direction that hair grows and wait to shave until after the shower when your skin has been softened by the warm water.

Waxing: While I personally do not recommend do-it-yourself waxing, there are people (crazy bitches) who do it. Waxing is best accomplished by a professional.

Pros: Since waxing removes hair from the root, it should last anywhere from 4-8 weeks, and the more often you do it, the slower the hair grows back.

Cons: No one ever said pain was cheap (though I constantly wonder why I spend so much to be abused)… bikini waxes can run from $30-100 dollars per wax, depending on how much you take off. Waxing can also cause in-growns, so it’s important to exfoliate. Other things to consider: Not only is it painful (take a pain reliever an hour before you go and avoid waxing a week before your period when you are the most sensitive, due to heightened levels of estrogen), it can be nerve wracking if you are a first-timer and relatively modest. What I tell my friends: your waxer has seen more vagina’s than she can even remember. So just put your dignity aside and (try to) relax.

Depilatory Creams: Depilatories use chemicals that react with the protein structure of the hair to literally melt the hair away. I am sure everyone remembers those lovely commercials, “Nair wears short shorts!”

Pros: Hair removal creams (like Nair) are inexpensive, easily accessible, quick and painless (you leave them on for 3-15 minutes and then wash off).

Cons: The awful smell. Seriously, it is like rotton eggs on your hoohah. Not sure it is worth the misery. Also, many people find that their skin becomes irritated from Depilatories, so make sure to do a skin test before using it.

Laser: How it works: the laser targets melanin, which is found in the hair, and breaks the follicle preventing further hair growth. Laser is said to work best on light skin/dark hair combination and is not recommended for those with darker skin tones.

Pros: An effective way to completely remove bikini hair once and for all. Relatively pain free (it’s said to feel like a small rubber band snapping your skin), and sessions are usually pretty quick.

Cons: Very expensive. Laser costs around $400 a session – and the average woman requires 5 sessions, plus once a year maintenance. You also can’t shave or be exposed to the sun in between sessions, which totally ruins your summer plans of sitting poolside. This would be a good option to consider starting in the winter, so that, come bikini season, you are already swimsuit ready.

Interested in laser? Visit the hair removal forum to get all the information you need before you go. Seriously, you don’t want any surprises. They even have a full list of local providers so you can find someone now and get that business taken care of.

Whatever option you choose, there is one must-have product for bikini zone happiness: Tend Skin. When that hair starts making a comeback, this is the best product for reducing and preventing those infamous in-grown hairs.

Got any other bikini zone tips to share? We can use all the help we can get…

[Photo courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald]

Nope… just like you girls, every single guy carries a unique body, and among the variables that you’re apt to come across are the various amounts of body hair.

Of all of men’s body features, body hair is the one that seems to conjure up the most dissension among women. Some girls actually like body hair, think it denotes manliness, and enjoy playing with it when they are frolicking around with a guy. Some girls really couldn’t care less either way, which I admire.

But there are quite a few girls who think body hair is among the more disgusting features that a guy can have, and would rather die than get close with a guy who’s showing even the slightest bit of chest hair through his button down shirt.

However, despite the fact that some girls are OK with body hair, hair appearing on a guy’s back is almost universally reviled. And as a long time member of the incredibly exclusive Hairy Back Club (I’ll actually be announcing my candidacy to be its next president sometime in the near future), I don’t really get this massive aversion.

Sure, I guess it’s unsightly, but it’s not like it’s different hair than what’s on a guy’s chest, legs or arms. Moreover, as far as I can tell, there doesn’t seem to be some new movement that I’m unaware of which involves making out with a guy’s back, nor do our backs feature any major erogenous zones, so aesthetic reasons aside, there’s really no good explanation.

Still, girls don’t like it, and that generally means that we guys have to change our ways. But if your guy has any self-respect at all, he’s probably not likely to sprint for the door to get his back professionally lasered, or heaven forbid, waxed.

Luckily for you girls who find yourselves involved with a hairy guy, there’s finally a tool for guys to get rid of that hair themselves, if they so choose. Yes, for just $29.99 you can get your man his very own iShave, which is basically an electric razor that’s attached to one of those back-scratchers you can buy at on the street for two dollars.

Simply ingenious.

So if you’re having trouble conjuring up an affordable but useful gift, perhaps the iShave is exactly what the good doctor ordered. Sure, you’re guy might be a bit offended, but I’m sure you can assuage him if you tell him exactly how well you’ll treat him when his back is finally as smooth as a baby’s backside.

That smelly white cream you put on your face for 3 minutes every couple of weeks to keep the girlstache away? That stuff that can burn your face off if you don’t wipe it in time? That stuff you hate?

Well, they’re coming after your little sisters.

In an all-new advertising campaign, Nair is targeting “first-time hair removers”—girls ages 10-15.

With a sparkly new bottle and two new scents, kiwi and peach (which, I’m assuming, smells exactly like every other Nair scent: sh*tty), “Nair Pretty” is all about enticing girls without much hair to take off every spare stub.

“I am a citizen of the world,” the bottle proudly states. “I am a dreamer. I am fresh. I am so not going to have stubs sticking out of my legs.”

While I’m not convinced there’s a direct correlation between hairy legs and having no dreams, the marketers behind “Nair Pretty” seem pretty sure that they’re doing a monumental good in the lives of little girls everywhere.

“When a girl removes hair for the first time, it’s a life-changing moment” claims the Vice President of marketing for the company that purchased the Nair franchise in 2001.

If she means life-changing as in realizing that society hates hairy girls and she’ll be chained to her razor for the rest of her life…than sure.

I have a secret: King of Shaves Woman’’s Shave & Smooth Shaving Spritz. It’s a bit of a tongue-twister, but it dramatically reduces shaving time with a spray-on application. It costs only $6 and smells like grapefruit. It also leaves my legs, bikini area and pits, smooth, smooth, smooth. And most important, no razor burn! I don’t think there is anything worse then razor burn on my bikini area.

I can also always rely on Skintimate shave gels to rid my bod from unwanted hair. Just out in stores this month are two new scents-Strawberry Tangerine and Kissably Sweet and theycost only $2.50. With a price like that, I’ll shave everyday.