I inherited a grab-bag of physical traits from my Estonian grandmother — most of them at least tolerable. But when I spied a trio of fine white hairs spouting under my chin last year, I was — to say the least — nonplussed.

I immediately started seeing an aesthetician down the street to rid myself of the, um, whiskers, but the weekly visits were making a not-so-insignificant dent on my cash flow situation.

Thankfully, a friend told me about Sally Hansen Hair Remover Wax Strips: plastic strips preloaded with wax that you warm in your hands, peel in half and stick like fly paper onto your skin.

And, to put it plainly, they’re genius. The clear plastic strips come pre-cut in different sizes (larger for body; smaller for face). And there’s no warming-the-messy-wax-in-the-microwave — a process I’ve been a slave to since high school (for my eyebrows). There’s really no direct contact between your hands and the wax, so the strips are exceedingly easy to handle. And the wax is serious — it grab and pulls out unwanted hair as effectively as hot salon wax.

And the most brilliant aspect of the product? Its portability. I keep a handful of strips in my purse and — every so often — pull them out at long stoplights. Not the classiest move — waxing in traffic. But it’s miles more ladylike than growing a beard-ette.

Related Posts from The Spiel:

1. Sally Singer named editor-in-chief of T Magazine
2. Lose the beard before your July 4 BBQ with discounts at Stark Waxing Studio
3. Oh my genius: A blog dedicated to the fashion of “Roseanne”