Associate Editor Jamie Stone writes:

Fact: My one year “LAnniversary,” as I’ve come to call it, is coming up this September. And, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about LA (besides that there will always be traffic, sunshine and fake boobs), it’s that laser hair removal is a must.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I complained to my friend Sydne about how our spontaneous hot tub parties were getting difficult for me because I’ve never been able to shave daily due to some seriously sensitive skin and some even more serious razor burn.

She looked at me like I had three heads and said “Why don’t you just laser?” It was an interesting thought…but one I thought only strippers and the Kardashians had (since they’re self-proclaimed “hairy Armenians”).

“Seriously?” I replied. “Isn’t that like $1,000? And won’t I contract genital warts from all the ladies of the night who spread their legs on that table before me?” Once I stopped laughing at my own completely inappropriate joke, Sydne explained to me that it’s actually really safe and clean and that almost everyone she knows gets laser since we live the California “always in a bikini” lifestyle.

So, I caved.

A few weeks ago I flew back to New York to visit the fam and friends and had the opportunity to try out one of the most well-known spas for laser hair removal, Completely Bare. My technician poured on globs of gel (kinda like Vaseline) and I prepared myself for the first laser snap to come. Not gonna lie…it was a bit shocking, but mostly cause I just didn’t know what to expect.

After the first few “snaps,” as I like to call them, you get used to the feeling and it doesn’t hurt so much after that. Overall the pain is WAY less than waxing (and no crazy razor burn-like shaving!) so I think it’s totally worth it.

I’m presently on week four, and obviously a little hair has grown back but it’s DEFINITELY not anywhere near as thick…can’t wait for round two! More updates to come soon on my blog QueenoftheQuarterLifeCrisis.com.

London correspondent Katherine McKenney writes:

For someone at Philips, a light bulb has gone off–and that light bulb removes unwanted hair. Philips Lumea IPL hair removal system–currently available in the UK–works by applying gentle, effective pulses of light to the hair root, which makes the root inactive (IPL stands for intense pulsed light). As a result, the hair falls out and the regrowth process is “inhibited”.

Side note: it’s important to be realistic about IPL technology and companies who claim they will remove your hair permanently (Philips Lumea is not one of them) because that’s not likely.

I had laser hair removal treatments 3 years ago at the Harley Medical Group. After 6 sessions with a trained nurse, the short term results were good. However, within 3 years, 40% of the hairs had grown back. I also can’t say that it was cheap (£350=$560) or that it didn’t sometimes hurt (if a hair that you missed shaving got zapped by the hot laser and then accidently fell across your skin). The whole experience had kind of put me off IPL technology.

Fast forward to late March 2010 when I had the pleasure of trying Philips Lumea IPL hair removal system. Shaped like a hair dryer, you press the nozzle to your skin and click a button. Poof! In 5 minutes, I had done my two underarms. The nozzle feels a little warm on the skin but it should never burn (or you have the setting up too high). So far this is easy, convenient, and painless! I have 3 more sessions scheduled, so stay tuned for the results.

Katherine McKenney is a natural beauty enthusiast who blogs regularly about organic products, skincare myths and aromatherapy on her site Natural Beautee.  She enjoys bringing a British perspective to the readers of Nadine Jolie.

So without getting all TMI (oops, it’s too late), I went to New York waxing emporium Completely Bare last week and had that service–you know, the one that Jennifer Love Hewitt talked about on George Lopez and which has been making the “Seriously?  Gross!” rounds.  (We also wrote about it on The Gloss.)

Let’s just cut to the chase: waxing is akin to medieval torture.  Why pour hot wax all over your nether regions when a razor will do the same job very nicely, thank you very much?  Of course, I’m–usually–blissfully ingrown-free.  Some of my friends over the years have been exceedingly prone to ingrowns, and in those cases, shaving is the real bitch.

Swarovski crystals on your mons aside, there are pros and cons to both waxing and shaving–so much so that I devoted an entire chapter to it in my book Beauty Confidential.  If you’re prone to ingrowns, are even slightly lazy, tend to have coarser hair, or simply feel like spending the money, then waxing is for you.  (Oh, yeah.  You have to have a SKY HIGH pain tolerance…or not be a giant baby.  Both necessities count me out.)

However, if you’re diligent about your shower upkeep, have finer hair, can’t afford regular trips to the salon, and/or genuinely can’t take the pain (see: giant baby, above), razors will be your best friend.

Either way, after you do your thing, consider applying some bikini bump treatment to the area, to prevent ingrowns.  Tend Skin works nicely, and I also like Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads.  (In a pinch, use a Clearasil pad, or something with salicylic acid.)  When waxing, pop an Advil an hour before treatment (and apply numbing LMX cream, if possible); if you’re shaving, don’t forget to go in the direction that hair grows, rather than against it.

Enough of that.  Let’s talk about puppies and rainbows instead.

Yesterday, my friend N. called me while at Ulta, asking for advice on the best curling iron to buy.  “There’s one you always recommend,” she said, “but I can’t for the life of me remember what it’s called!”

Said curling iron of choice, used by bargain-shoppers and celebrity-styling salon owners alike, is by Hot Tools.  The one-inch barrel is the gold-standard, although there are a variety of sizes offered, and even a ceramic-and-tourmaline version.  Don’t feel like you’re necessarily doing your hair a disservice by picking the regular, non-ceramic version (N. worried about this herself!)–as long as you protect your strands with a heat-styling cream, lotion or spray, your locks will be fine and you’ll end up with gorgeous curls!

Summer’s here, and warmer weather means more exposed limbs…and an end to the winter grizzly bear-syndrome.  (C’mon, admit it–you let the waxing and shaving slide in the winter…and spring…sometimes, too!)  Next time you’re off to the spa or salon for a waxing or lasering session, keep these tips in mind to minimize the pain:

1) Never go during your period; this is when your pain threshold is lowest.  Wait until the week after your period, when your pain threshold is highest

2) An hour beforehand, pop an Advil or ibuprofen

3) Half an hour beforehand, spread a topical numbing cream like LMX all over the targeted area; it will literally cut the pain in half

4) Bring your iPod–it might sound silly, but the distraction really helps!

5) Take a deep breath before each yank.  (And just remember–it’s a means to an end.  Think of England!)

There are two things that super-glamorous women do frequently: get their nails done, and visit a bikini-waxer (or a bikini-laserer, for the super-glamorous techie women out there).  I do neither of these things, and so therefore am hopelessly unglamorous, doomed to roam the earth cursed by raggedy cuticles and stubble in weird places.  Sorry, but I just can’t be bothered!  Why spend time mindlessly grooming random parts when you could be out exploring the world?  Making a difference!  Doing something with your life!  (Or…er…watching Gossip Girl.  Only after making a difference and doing something with your life, of course.)  Being lazy about my nails is usually fine; I’ll trim them down every couple of weeks and be done with it.  Not having the patience to go through the whole bikini-process of “growing it out only to immediately get it waxed,” however, I long ago decided to make good friends with my razor.  It’s easier…but not necessarily on my skin.  (Razor burn?  Ingrowns?  Yeah.  Not fun.)  I just discovered Prince Reigns, an all-natural ingrown-hair serum, and without getting too–ahem–into it, it’s definitely made a difference.  (That is to say, smooth and no bumps, yay!)  The website is pretty interactive, with a chart comparing it to other anti-bump brands.  Check it out here.