Va-tat-ing

Even though we at GABI haven’t really done justice to the fad that is vajazzling just yet (think of bedazzing, that wonderful vestige of the 90s, but on your vagina…nope, this isn’t a joke. Read more about “vajazzling” here and if you really want to know what it’s all about, check out our new friends over at The Luxury Spot‘s account of a vajzzling session ), apparently it’s already being edged out by a yet-trendier and even more cutting edge down-there grooming convention Enter: Vatooing.

Vatoo (noun): a decorative, temporary ink design applied to the skin of the mons pubis, generally following a brazillian wax.

Hey L, check out this awesome vatoo of my name …I can’t wait to surprise my boyfriend with it tonight, and now he has no excuse for screaming the wrong name.

Other forms: vatoo-ing, va-tat-ing (our fave)

The ever-adventurous crew at The Luxury Spot went on a waxing and vatooing outing at Completely Bare Spa in NY recently and was brave enough to share their bare-all tales with the world. Check out their accounts of their creative va-tats here.

he ladies of The Luxury Spot documented their waxing and vatooing outing at Completely Bare Spa in NYC.

Since we’re not yet aware of any places that do this in Boston or Washington, D.C. (but please let us know if you have any recs!) it looks like we’re going to have to wait for an occasion to be in NYC to check this out, but based on their pictures it looks like they had a lot of fun and got pretty creative with the vatoo designs (the cobwebs are my personal favorite…I’m with ya, sister).

Clients pick their own vatoo designs and this tell-it-like-it-is chica opted to riff on downstairs cobwebs. Loves it!

What do you think, GABI readers? Is this over-the-top or the next big thing?

Waxing Makes Me Fist Pump

Breaking news: did anyone else just catch Angelina of MTV Jersey Shore fame getting a brazillian wax en route to Miami for the start of Season II ??! That face she made mid-wax didn’t look so happy, but she  got through it like a champ, grinning and baring it. We all wax for different reasons and I guess hers was Miami beaches… or just the promise of sharing a bedroom with Ronnie and The Situation, whichever.

Apparently the ladies of The Jersey Shore got beach bod-ready for Season II in Miami with a little bikini waxing...maybe they have some good stories to contribute to GABI?

I coincidentally happen to be heading to the Jersey Shore tomorrow morning as well; good thing homegirl and I are on the same page with the pre-beach routine. While I will probably be doing a little bit less fist pumping than these ladies, I’m glad to know that they’re waxing fans as well.

So Angelina (and Snooks, J-Woww, and Sammi–we love you all), have any good waxing stories to share with us? And tell us, some of the guys must wax too, right?

Waxing, By The Numbers

As I’ve already made clear, I’m a pretty avid waxer. In addition to my monthly brazillian wax routine, I am plagued with Ernie & Bert eyebrows that also need to be waxed and tamed on an even more regular basis. Every time I hand over my credit card for one of these routine services that I’ve deemed so “necessary,” I think abstractly about how much I’ll end up spending on waxing services in my lifetime. Then I start freaking out and quickly change the inner monologue.

But now, it’s time to take a page from the day job skill set and do some number-crunching:

Bikini waxes range in price based on what you’re getting and where you’re getting it done, usually totaling anywhere between $30 to $100+. For our purposes, let’s stick with something in the middle range but also factor in a tip (now THAT is a whole other conversation–what to tip someone after they’ve spent 30 minutes working their magic on your down there hair?!), so we’ll assume that people spend an average of $60 per wax.

Let’s say you wax once every two months for a year, spending $60 on each wax…that’s $360 per year. Not too frightening I guess, especially when compared to laser hair removal options that cost upwards of $300 and require multiple sessions. But now compare that to your Starbucks/shoes/*insert other guilty pleasures here* habit, and it’s worth an eyebrow raise…a perfectly shaped, waxed brow, that is.

Now let’s up the ante a little bit: let’s say you’re more like me and you wax approximately once a month. So $60 once a month for a year? That’s a total of $720 spent on bikini waxing.

Now here’s where it gets really scary: if you are a regular waxing devotee for a long period of time. Two years of monthly waxing at $60? That’ll cost you somewhere around $1440. Three years? $2,160. Four years?! $2,880.

Ohmygoodnessthisisgettingtobetoomuch.

But seriously, bikini waxing is NOT a cheap habit. Even though an option like laser hair removal would mean shelling out a lot more cash upfront (and multiple treatments, visits, possibly mixed results etc.) it definitely looks like a more cost-effective option in the long run.

Then again, the average cost of a razor and shaving cream? $6. Can’t beat that.

What do you think? Is it worth it to shell out for waxing?

Caution: Falling Objects

A GABI reader writes:

The first time I got a bikini wax was in Brooklyn. It was a dare. I saw a salon, listened as my friends said I would never actually do it, thought about how awesome it would be to not have to shave for four weeks (read: how much my new boyfriend would enjoy it), and made an appointment for fifteen minutes later. I went up the stairs. The salon was dark, and full of hairdressers chatting and drinking coffee. There were a few other clients. I was led to a back room where a woman of Eastern European descent told me to take off my shoes, pants, and underwear. She looked at me and said:

“Eh, you shave too much. Stop shaving. Less painful.”

Then she went to work.

I learned a lot from my first experience: do not question when the waxing woman says to hold your skin tight (or raise a leg, or turn over, or place your hands anywhere); do not shave prior to getting a wax; and don’t forget to exfoliate after. Also, don’t attempt conversation. And most importantly, don’t over-think what is about to happen before a wax. Trust me, calling the salon is the hardest part.

…this is why I now go to random waxing places that I pass on the street, just to avoid the dreaded phone call to schedule a wax and the anxiety that it brings on. In one such random place, not too long ago, I laid mostly naked on a table that I prayed was clean. It was a nail salon above some sort of cheap take-out place. I didn’t have an appointment, but I decided when I woke up that morning that it was time for a wax. They were advertising $25 manicure and pedicures, so I figured a wax would be cheap and quick—perfect.

Demystifying the Different Types of Waxes

The first time you get a wax can be a bit intimidating, especially if the salon offers a variety of waxing options that you just don’t really understand . It was easy for me to resort to brazilians just because I could say, “I want it all gone” and there’s not really room for discussion. But if you’re interested in trying something new (and maybe exciting), or if you just want to figure out what you’re actually signing yourself up for, consider this your bikini wax cheat sheet.

American: Appropriately named after us Americans too lazy to do anything more than the absolute minimum; this is a wax of just what would show while wearing normal bikini bottoms.

 

Brazilian: An all out assault of any follicle below the waist (though, it should also be noted that a waxer will often take care of some belly button hair free of charge not matter what kind of wax you’re getting done, just ask!) .

French: A nice combination between the American and the Brazilian; this type of wax accommodates a higher-rise bikini, while still allowing you to keep the down there hair that the French love so dearly.

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Le Wax

A reader waxes on waxing à Paris:

My semester abroad in Paris was the best five months of my life so far, without question. Best food, best language, best city in the world, best friends, and of course, best skin-care. I exaggerate because it’s true.

I was already a monthly waxer by the time I got to Paris. Had been for almost three years. I would swear by getting waxed monthly – it grows back less and less each time and you learn to get used to the pain. Back in Boston it had become a sort of comfort blanket. I had a favorite place, went on a regular basis, was friendly enough with my waxer that she would email me French book recommendations to prepare for living in Paris. I loved it so much that I tried to turn other people into regular waxers. I would tell them about my favorites places, good deals I found, or just take them on their first wax experience and talk them through it. It really only worked once, but I got her hooked.

I lived in the 15th arrondisement of Paris, not far from the Eiffel Tower. There was a fantastic skin-care salon right down the street from my host family’s apartment. It was small, friendly, adorably French, and ridiculously cheap. A bikini wax there cost me about a third of what it would cost in the US, took half the time, and lasted twice as long. And to think that I just found this place on a whim!

Obviously, I had to share this discovery with my friends, and considering that my boyfriend of over a year had just broken up with me on Skype and had a new girlfriend within a week, I needed to do something familiar and treat myself to some (relative) comfort. My friend and I planned a whole afternoon around this highly-anticipated waxing. She came to my neighborhood, we got waxed, then we did what any recently single gal would do: eat a foot of baguette with cheese and top it off with chocolate macarons because clearly, nothing says post-break up comfort like hot wax on my crotch and a fresh sandwich in my hand.

Waxing: A Heated Debate

Understatement of the year: the subject matter of GABI is a little bit touchy. Waxing and hair removal is inherently private, so it’s no surprise that waxing is often considered controversial when it comes up for debate. Men and women have strong opinions on the matter and after doing some research on the history of hair removal, we’ve learned that this was not always the case. While we continue to be slightly uneasy about what our judge-y (or hairy) friends, coworkers, partners, and parents will think when they stumble across this blog, it’s also fun to push the public/private boundary and engage in a frank conversation about why we–in the societal sense–wax.

Who do we wax for? Ourselves? Our sexual partners? When it does come down to sex, are women expected to be bare?  Are men? Is there an unfair double standard? (wow, did not mean to err so lame SATC just now…but really, these are big questions)

Our new friends over at Betwitxter (great blog, well worth your time, especially if you’re also trying to navigate your 20s) have recently got into a pretty heated discussion on this topic. While we’re going to wait a little bit to “bare all” in terms of our views (then again, you can probably guess how we feel, as we’ve already blown our cover as frequent waxers, especially when there’s a big night coming up), check out these different  male and female perspectives on the matter and join the conversation.

We want to hear what your thoughts are, so leave a comment and let’s get this heated up like wax. Mmmm.

Getting a Brazillian in Brazil

This great piece comes to us from an American friend who is traveling in Brazil:

Rafael, the friend I’m staying with here in Sao Paulo, has been going to the gym twice a day to burn off all the fish and chips and Cadbury bars he ate during his last two years in London. This doesn’t leave me with many daytime options, so in true Brazilian spirit, I’ve done my best to… sleep, relax, and not worry about filling my day with activities. It might seem like a weird way to spend your first week in a new country, but considering that I’ve been too afraid to leave the house alone, I think it’s just fine. Yesterday, however, I finally ventured out.

My head held high, I walked down Avenida Tabão, trying to pretend that I knew exactly what I was doing. My plan for the day was to try on those booty-hugging jeans that all the girls seem to be wearing. Once I got to the store though, I realized I really didn’t need booty-hugging jeans, but there was something I did need before I hit the beach or any pool parties… a wax! I hadn’t wanted to ask Rafael where to get one, so I decided to ask the salesclerk helping me. Too bad I hadn’t learned the word yet. I’m not sure why, but I figured they used the word “wax,” so that’s what I asked for. Confused, Girl #1 took me over to Girl #2,  I repeated the word “wax” about five times, to no avail. So I started to demonstrate. I knew the word for hair (cabelos), but I also knew that cabelos is not the word for the hair on your body. So I had to say “hair” and then say “not on my head” and then try to demonstrate without being vulgar. It was terrible, and I wasn’t the only one laughing. Finally the girls got it, whispered depilção, and dragged me next door.

If the Kardashians do it, it must be ok…right?

While some of us rush off to salons for a regular wax, others try their hand at do-it-yourself (DIY) at-home waxing. In fact, it seems like it’s become quite the trend lately…

Though we’re all for being thrifty, DIY waxing definitely has its risks. Apparently not everyone’s learned that trying to wax yourself at home might lead to your dad having to goo-gone your labia apart. And, as evidenced by the previous post, our balls-y (hah) friend in London ended up in the hospital after his friend’s failed attempt at a DIY male bikini wax. So in case you weren’t already convinced that DIY waxing is just a plain bad idea, check out the video of what happens when Kourtney Kardashian tries to get her sister Khloe baby smooth for a visit from Lamar:

Bros Waxing Bros

This just in (thanks to the many GABI readers who tipped us off to this hilarity): some bros in the UK recently had a little waxing mishap that’s made international news.

In an attempt to raise money for a local hospital, ten male friends agreed to wax their chests at a local pub. Their friends and onlookers thew down cash for the chance to actually rip the strips of wax and hair off (gross).

One brave bro decided to up the ante by undergoing a “male brazillian.” However, his charitable, but apparently overly-eager waxer ripped a little bit too hard and landed this guy–quite ironically–in the same hospital that he was raising funds for in the first place.

Seriously. You can’t make this stuff up.

Read more here.

So what do you think? New internet craze or Jackass stunt?

Happy weekend waxing, everyone!