BlueSuitMom's Working Mom Must Haves: Personal Care By Rachael Bender, Co-founder of BlueSuitMom.com & Beth Bogerman, Contributing Writer Emagine Of all the things on my daily personal maintenance list, shaving my legs is at the top. I can’t stand the stubble as it rubs against my pants, and my husband gets a little queasy if the hair on my legs is longer than his buzz-cut head. As women, I think we’ve all played around with epilators, and the love/hate division is right down the middle. Of all the epilators out there, the Emagine by Emjoi has the most aggressive design, including 72 tweezing elements that Emjoi boasts is the most on the market. While I never look forward to “epilator night,” I keep telling myself that six weeks’ worth of smooth legs is worth the discomfort. The Emagine is efficient and feels like an epilator feels—there’s no getting around that. The Emagine is comfortable in the hand, glides easily across the skin, and has two power settings for fine or coarser hair. The Emagine is not rechargeable and must be plugged in to operate. The blade housing can be removed from the unit, and I clean it with keyboard air-based cleaner. As far as epilators go, the Emagine is a tough machine and should provide the user with 6 weeks of shave-free strutting. Website: emjoi.com RotoShave In switching over to the five-blade razor overkill when the cost of the twin blades became too high, my husband noticed a lot more irritability and ingrown hair, regardless of blade age or shaving cream/lotion/oil. Upon researching a better solution we came across the RotoShave by Emjoi. It looked like a cross between a tazer and a torture device, so he was a little skeptical when we opened the package. Following the strict guidelines to not use the RotoShave on bare skin, he did a test run on his arm with shave cream just to get the feel. Feeling confident after just a few swipes, he moved on to his face. The RotoShave provided a fairly close, even shave with minimal irritation. He did get better results using a thinner shave gel rather than a thick, cream-based shaving lotion, as the thickness tends to coat the blades. Rinsing the unit is effortless, and the two speed settings are welcome if you are particularly overgrown. Of note, this is a razor hybrid with some characteristics of a manual razor and some of an electric one. My husband finds the RotoShave to be less irritating and less pulling then an electric shaver, albeit a little less close than he can get with a manual. He charges the RotoShave every couple of days to ensure good power, and he uses it in the shower exclusively. With an easy learning curve and solid performance, the RotoShave should be on any guy’s short list. Website: emjoi.com Clear Wave Soothing Skin System The Verilux Clear Wave Soothing Skin System utilizes differing nanometer light therapy via two different lenses to reduce troublesome acne and fine lines. In three-minute cycles, the light therapy works at the cellular level to reduce acne inflammation using the blue lens and to rejuvenate the skin’s elasticity when using the red lens. Multiple cycles must be performed to cover the entire face, and the provided eye goggles should be used. The unit must be held to the skin to operate, and it emits a slight heat during repetitive cycles, but not enough to be uncomfortable. Within two weeks, visible redness reduction should be evident. The website provides clinically based research articles to support the light therapy’s claims, and per those claims, the therapy does not work very well on comedonal acne. Of note, the battery depletes fairly quickly and I find I have to charge the device after each multi-use session. Being over 30 and still dealing with some acne is an annoyance. The Verilux gives me a safe and non-medicinal way to help me combat it. Website: verilux.com Mistral Eau de Parfum I ran across the Mistral products while on a business trip to Los Angeles a few years ago and fell in love with their soap line. Imagine my surprise when I found out they had a line of scents to accompany their sweet and exotic-smelling soaps. Of course, I had to hurry out and try these tantalizing morsels of promised luxury! I am so thankful I did. If only I could have made up my mind which scents I liked the best—instead I purchased four. Now I have enough tantalizing fragrances to last me at least a few months. Mistral does not test on animals and offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Currently, Mistral offers their eau de parfum in seven delicious fragrances: Balinese Vanilla, Gardenia, South Seas, Lychee Rose, Verbena Flower, Wild Blackberry, and Grapefruit Red Currant. At $52 for each beautifully rounded 1.7 fl oz bottle, this gift is worth every penny for your best friend, mom, or co-worker—or as a present to yourself. Website: www.mistralsoap.com We've found many other great products and services that are either Must Haves or Great Finds. You can read our recommendations and those of BlueSuitMom readers in the following categories: Green Products Kitchen Technology Health Cell Phones For Babies and Toddlers For Preschoolers and Young Children For Older Kids (5 and up) For Little Girls Gifts for the Family Products for Breastfeeding Moms Gifts for Clients or Co-Workers Multipurpose Gifts - Coming Soon Books - Coming Soon Over the next year, we'll continue to add to the list, so if you know of something we missed, please send us an email.