I used to have an epilator. The first couple times it was brutal.

I went back to shaving - or rather NOT shaving - except for a few weeks in summer when I MIGHT wear a skirt;

I tried cold waxing strips this summer and they have a lasting effect. I even did my bikini zone (*slight youch* - have not progressed to underarms yet). Now that most is "weeded out", they do not come back all at once, so a first round with a new epilator I am contemplating to buy might be more bearable.