[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Today I received my free Gillette Venus Silk Expert powered by Braun, from Braun, in exchange for my honest review. My first impression was that the device was larger than I expected from the picture. It compared to the size of a large shampoo bottle whereas I was expecting more the size of an eyeglass case. It had some weight to it! Assembly was extraordinarily simple (two connection spots and into the wall) and I had it plugged up and ready to go in no time. Once you plug it in, it's on--there is no on/off switch. Important to note for any mommas out there. Do this when no little fingers are around to potentially hurt themselves. I spent a lot of time reading through the instructions. There were a lot of warnings and very detailed instructions on use. It seems to be the type of thing that you could cause damage with if you use it incorrectly. I was also surprised to learn that skin tone and hair color would impact both the safety and effectiveness of use. Instructions state it does work best on fair skin and dark hair. I decided to test my legs below the knee for this first trial period, so I carefully shaved the area to try to avoid any missed sections. I notoriously ALWAYS miss a spot and I read that it can cause pain if there is a hair there during treatment, so I took extra care in this step. Once I was ready to use the device, I decided to test out the glide feature. There seem to be three ways to use this: regular mode one spot at a time, gentle mode, same way, or glide mode. Glide mode sounded most appropriate for this large surface area. Note that the directions recommend you test a small area first and then wait a day or two to ensure no negative reaction. Using the device was simple enough. I understood what I was trying to accomplish. I think it will take a while to master the art of effective use, though. Especially on the lower portion of my leg nearest my ankle, it was challenging to maintain the consistent contact required on both sides of the device head. If this contact is not maintained, the light pulse won't work. I was prepared for some discomfort, but was pleasantly surprised. There was a sensation of warmth, and occasional and very subtle sting/burn (yup, missed a spot anyway), but it was so mild that it barely registered and I wouldn't even call it discomfort. The red light would flash quite brightly and I would know when that section had been done and would very slowly continue the glide onto the next patch of skin, not stopping as the next flash would occur in just enough time to keep going. The light bars on the side indicating the strength of the contact was helpful and easy to understand. After I completed this process, it was easy to disassemble and store. During the process, and now a good half an hour after the treatment, There has been no change to the color of my skin or any reaction of any kind positive or negative. I'll be making this a Saturday ritual for the next several weeks and look forward to seeing what results will follow! My first impression overall is to the positive as far as ease of use goes. However, it doesn't matter how easy it is to use--so I'll be in the neutral camp until I see how effective it is in doing it's job!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] No more razors is in my horizon! Because of the Gillette Venus Silk expert powered by Braun I am on the way to hairless legs, arm pits and other body parts! It's easy to use, and does not hurt. If you follow the recommended regimen this device is an IPL system and similar techniques in spas will cost you twice if not triple what this device will do for you at home. My hair growth is drminishing. I wish it came with a storage bag but i'll find something. I was praying that this was not going to be a epilady revival, and God finally answered with the Venus Silk expert!

First off; let me just say I was so excited to get a chance to try this out. This campaign came at a perfect time to start the treatment and be ready to go for Summer. I was thoroughly impressed with the packaging of the Gillette Venus Silk-expert; it is so nice to be able to store it in it's original packaging. On my first try with this thing I was incredibly nervous; so much so that I couldn't bring myself to actually push the button. It took me ten times to finally get the nerve to hit the button. Once I did, I couldn't help but laugh at myself as there was no pain whatsoever. This was super easy to use and I love that the light detects the skin tone and knows how much power to use. The only difficult part for me was trying to use this on my knees and ankles as both sides need to be in contact with your skin. The other warning I would give is that it does get warmer the longer you use; so perhaps using it on more sensitive areas first would be recommended. I have now used this twice; once per week. And while I have not seen results yet; I am highly optimistic that it will work.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I was so excited when I was offered the opportunity to try the Gillette® Venus® Silk-expert Powered by Braun in exchange for an honest review (Thank you, Braun!). With summer fast approaching, it seemed the perfect time to try an IPL (intense pulsed light) system. I have looked at other IPL systems in the past, but never bit the bullet and bought one. I tend to have very dark body hair, and I have to shave every other day in the summer. Since I have very fair skin and dark hair, this type of hair removal system is supposed to work well for me. When the Silk-expert arrived, I tried it right away. It comes with A Gillette Venus razor - I've been a die-hard Venus user for years, so shaving with the Venus was pretty routine for me. You do have to shave before you use the Gillette Venus Silk-expert. Using the Silk-expert is very easy; just hold down the button and slowly glide it along the surface you want to be hair-free. The Silk-expert flashes as it moves along the surface. I have been using it on my legs, underarms, and bikini area. If you've shaved well, the experience is completely painless. I learned that if you've done a poor job of shaving prior to using the IPL system, you do feel it a bit. Even so, it's really more of just a tingle than anything painful. Sensitive areas, like underarms and bikini area, also tend to tingle a little during use. The flashes are very bright. I'm a bit surprised that you do not need any sort of eye protection when you use the system. My husband won't hang out in the same room with me when I'm using it because he says it's too bright. The instructions say to look away during the flashes, but this is difficult, since there is an indicator near where the flashes originate that you need to check to see how much power is being used. Use of the system is pretty fast; I can usually do my legs, underarms, and bikini area in 20-30 minutes (and I move the product very slowly in order to not miss any spots). I've used the Gillette® Venus® Silk-expert Powered by Braun weekly for 5 weeks now. I held off on writing this review because I wanted to be able to comment on how it was actually working, as far as actual hair removal. The packaging says that some women notice a reduction in hair growth in as little as 4 weeks. I'm not sure if it's wishful thinking, but I do think there has been in reduction in the amount of hair growth, especially on my legs. I can't wait to see how much it's reduced by the time I finish the recommended 12 weekly uses before switching to monthly use. I'll update my review later with that info. I am so looking forward to a summer where I don't have to shave every other day!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I was so nervous to try this product. I waited a few weeks and did lots of research before I began. When I finally decided I had to try, I used the enclosed razor. I plugged the unit in and began the process. It was so easy. The light tells you when it's ready. All I had to do was hold down the button and zap. I then held the button down and simply moved the unit to each spot I wanted to zap. I have been doing it on my legs and underarms for 8 weeks. I'm already impressed with the results. My leg hair is much less. My underarm hair is almost gone. I will do the process for the next 4 weeks. I'm sure I will be happy with the results. I also was nervous about how it would feel. There is a little zap but no pain at all.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I received my Venus Silk Expert for free from Braun. After several weeks of use,(I believe 8 weeks), I think more treatments are still necessary. I was a little intimidated when I read through the pamphlet enclosed in the box, so I stuck with the gentle setting, which could impact the results I'm sure. I don't consider the treatments to be painful, maybe just a tingling sensation. It appears I have areas on my legs that the treatments were effective on, as there's currently no longer any hairs that I can see.. I'm anxious to continue using the silk expert and attempt my bikini line, as well as my underarms, and maybe someday be "hair free"

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I was really anxious to try this product, I am one of those lucky people that could shave twice a day and still feel like I look and feel stubbly. I will take any assistance I can get!nwhen Braun sent me the product to try I tore into the box when it arrived and admit I was upset - the plug it came with was for European outlets. Luckily I had a convertor and was able to make the product work! I shaved first, and the Venus razor is one of my favorites so I was really excited to get one of these! I decided to try on only one leg first so I can really see how the product works at the end of the time period. In all, I found the product fairly simple to use, my biggest complaint is that it is time consuming. Even with using the glide feature the directions say it still needs some time to "recharge," so it's not absolutely continuous. The heat didn't really bother me, but it did feel different on different sections of my leg. It says to avoid the light, but I also found that really difficult to do. In all my initial review of the product is 3 stars. However, it won't be difficult for the product to jump to a 5 star rating. I am willing to take the time out to do this if it works as claimed. I also think with repeated use the product will become easier to maneuver.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I'm really impressed with the Gillette Venus Silk Expert; I've been using it weekly for about 6 weeks and I really am please with the results. The tool is easy to use and the side lights really are great at guiding you along the way. They make it extremely easy to know when you are doing it correctly. The results have been great, hair growth has definitely slowed down and the re-growth I experience is softer. Not very coarse.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] It takes a little while to use but I already see less hair growth after just 3 weeks. I love it. My hair on my legs is growing in slower and less of it. I am not needing to shave as often. Yay! The grip is a little awkward and larger than I like but the more I do it the easier it is.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I was excited to be selected to receive a Gillette Venus Silk Expert from Braun in exchange for providing honest feedback. My husband and I are both trying it out and here are our initial thoughts after using it once: 1) You should know before buying that it is not for use on the face 2) I find it a bit hard to know where I've already used so suspect that I've either repeated treatment on area's or missed huge area's. 3) While it doesn't require sunglasses, it is super bright so I'm wearing sunglasses. AND, we learned right away to NOT use it in a small area like the bathroom and definitely not in front of a mirror! A larger space not directly in front of a mirror is much more ideal. We've only used it once so not sure about results yet but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how it works. My face is much more of a problem area for me so I will definitely be purchasing the face approved device if we find this works!