As Seen on TV Smooth Away Review

It's sort of a running gag that, at Christmas and my birthday, my mom will invariably give me an "As Seen on TV" gift.  We all know that "As Seen on TV" anything can be hit or miss, but let's face it, we're all curious at least once...

Well, mom lived up to her usual and had the Smooth Away in with this year's birthday gifts.  I was excited to get one, actually, as I'd been toying with buying one at Target.  I mean, it was on sale for about $5 and would have easily been one of those "what the heck" purchases.

Glad I kept my five spot in my wallet, because as many reviewers have said, this crazy thing is a great way to give yourself a rash or a remarkable facsimile of one.  Let's all note that the smoothing disks are made by 3M--the same company that makes items like tape, glue, and, oh yeah--sandpaper!

If I ever wanted to know what a 2x4 feels like when it's sanded, this product got me as close to being a living representation of lumber as I will ever be.  I tried the large disks on my legs, and after many swirls, I was no closer to silky smoothness than I was when I began.  Now, I didn't have gorilla-length hair on my legs, but I may as well have.  Not a single sprig of hair was removed, and in fact, I think it was standing up straighter and laughing in my general direction.  About 30 minutes later, I did notice one thing...

My legs were an interesting shade of bright pink and rather itchy.  Sweating was not going to be to my advantage here.  It's worth noting that I didn't grind onto my skin with the disk, though when I wasn't seeing results, I was worried I wasn't using enough pressure. 

The kit comes with a fingertip buffer for the face, and though I don't have hair issues on my face...I got bold and decided to try it as a light exfoliator for some dry spots on my cheeks.  How crazy is this--it's a pretty decent exfoliator!  If you don't use a heavy hand, I find it's nice at taking off those light dry spots that don't respond well to just moisturizer.

I can't use abrasive cleansers anywhere on my face, and this nutty thing works as a nice substitute for facial scrubs.  I've been able to lightly buff away dry patches with the Smooth Away and have had fair results.

I gave it two stars for that reason alone, but for its intended use, BIG FAT GOOSE EGG.