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Flamingo
- The team at men's shaving startup Harry's has launched a new women's brand, Flamingo.
- Like Harry's, Flamingo sells simple, affordable, and effective shaving products, including a $9 razor and $16 shave set. It also sells waxing products, acknowledging another hair removal method that many women use instead of or in addition to shaving.
- We tried and loved its shaving tools, which were optimized for the body's natural curves and contours. They gave us a smooth, soft shave.
In 2013, direct-to-consumer startup Harry's entered the men's shaving aisle with a set of simple products: sharp, durable razors and soothing skin care, all sold at a fair price. Seems like an obvious combination of qualities since many men shave every day of every week of every year, but Harry's was the first new brand to fully deliver on strong, long-lasting, and financially sustainable shaving tools.
Many women seek the same things out of their shaving tools, and they liked the way Harry's approached this personal care chore so much that since the company's launch, more than a million women have used and enjoyed Harry's products.
Still, those within the company knew it could create products better catered towards women's needs - and no, the answer was not to make the razor handle pink. New out of Harry's, Inc. is a women's shaving brand called Flamingo, which is guided by the same vision (and even uses the same factory) that has made Harry's a hit among men.
Flamingo
Why you should trust Flamingo:
Flamingo is led by two Harry's veterans who have been with the company since its start: Allie Melnick (brand strategy and VP of new growth), and Brittania Boey (SVP of research, development, and design). This expertise has allowed Flamingo to hit the ground running with a focused, thoughtful product line and distinctive brand look.
For shaving, it currently sells a razor ($9), blade cartridges (four for $9), foaming shave gel ($5), and body lotion ($9) a la carte. The shave set ($16) throws the razor, smaller versions of the shave gel and body lotion, an extra blade cartridge, and a shower hook into a reusable, travel-friendly pouch.
All of its razor blades are manufactured in the same Harry's factory in Germany, so you can expect ultra-sharp, high quality blades. However, design features like a hydrating aloe vera strip, rounded edges, and a flexible hinge that allows you to smoothly bring the razor along contours and curves make it different from the men's razors. Since most women shave in the shower, the razor handle has an ergonomic, textured rubber grip that won't slip out of your hands. If you're already subscribed to Harry's, you can actually use its blade cartridges on your Flamingo razor handle.
Read more: I tried the buzzy new Billie razor for women - and now I actually look forward to shaving my legs
Flamingo
What it's like to shave with Flamingo:
The razor handles come in different colors, Taro and Rose Gold, Mint and Gold, and Pomelo and Silver, which give them some personality, but this is certainly not Flamingo's main selling point. I don't care what my razor looks like as long it gets the job done and does it well every single time, and my experience with Flamingo involved just that.
I have a pretty matter-of-fact attitude towards shaving. It's annoying and time-consuming, but I've been doing it long enough to quietly nod and accept my fate every time I need to break my razor out. Admittedly, it was exciting to try a new razor, and unlike with my past razors, the excitement didn't die down with each subsequent use, because my Flamingo razor continued to do a pain-free, efficient job through multiple shaving sessions.
I loved using it with the rich and thick foaming shave gel that stayed on my skin instead of sliding right off and left it feeling very smooth. Insider Picks reporters Mara Leighton and Remi Rosmarin agreed, calling the cream "luxe." It contains aloe vera and conditioning emollients, plus it's dermatologist-tested and free from parabens, sulfates, and mineral oil. A nice detail I appreciated about the container construction itself is that it won't leave rust rings in your shower or tub.
I don't shave that consistently, which means that when I do, there's usually a lot of hair to get through. My Flamingo razor felt gentle enough on my skin that at times I wondered if it was actually doing anything, before I pulled it away and confirmed it was doing a lot. While I still can't say the process of shaving is enjoyable, using Flamingo's tools made it more enjoyable than usual. I finished shaving in half the time and with cleaner, smoother results than with other razors.
Flamingo
Other reasons to let Flamingo handle your hair care:
To address another common hair removal method among women, Flamingo also sells $10 face wax and body wax kits, which contain wax strips and post-wax cloths. The face wax kit includes an additional calming serum. At the time of this writing, we weren't able to test the wax products since our hair wasn't long enough, but we plan on writing about the experience when we can. This decision to offer hair removal products other than razors was smart on the brand's part and opens up its customer base to women who exclusively wax or switch between shaving and waxing.
Shaving isn't fun, and it never will be, but Flamingo's easy-to-use and affordable tools get us one step closer to a seamless shave. Supported by the Harry's name, it shares commonalities in blade technology and overall mission, while gearing itself towards women's specific shaving needs. Unlike Harry's (and its close competitor Billie), it doesn't sell subscription plans, so you have the freedom to restock shaving and waxing products whenever you need them.
Shop the Shave Set for $16 at Flamingo here
Shop all shaving products at Flamingo here
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