I'm sure you've seen the ever-present infomercials for SmoothAway, the hair removal product that the company touts as "the fastest selling, most popular women's product in Europe." Hmmm. Dubious claim. So, does this miracle product really work?

I picked up SmoothAway for $10 at the drugstore and decided to give it a whirl. Each package comes with two pink plastic mitts, one large for areas like arms and legs, and one small, for upper lips and other tight spots. You stick on a sheet of what basically amounts to superfine sandpaper (4 of each size included in the box), slip the mitt onto your fingers, and start buffing away.

The package insert instructs you to buff in a circular motion, several strokes one way, and then the other. I started on my leg, and honestly, it took several tries to start seeing a difference. SmoothAway definitely didn't eliminate all the hair, even after multiple passes. In the time it took me to do one small spot, I could have easily shaved both legs. Definitely not worth it.

But then I tried the SmoothAway on the pale peach fuzz on my arms. Gone, baby, gone! This was a much easier task than the leg work, and the results were far better. My arms were super smooth and fuzz-free, with the additional benefit of the exfoliating power of the pads (they're sandpaper, so of course they're going to exfoliate).

So if you're looking for an alternative to shaving your legs, don't get too excited. But for quick smoothing of smaller areas with less hair, SmoothAway might be a good solution.

One caveat: since the SmoothAway pads do exfoliate your skin, don't use if you've recently applied a self-tanner -- you'll find that most of your tan has been Smoothed Away along with the hair! Use prior to tanning, though, and you'll have a smooth, hair-free base on which to apply.