My Art of Shaving samples review, thanks to
@cranky
Firstly I have to add the caveat that I have been wet shaving for years but have only been using a DE razor for a whole 6 days so ymmv definitely applies here...
the tools: gillette fat boy adjustable @ 2, Astra green, superior platinum (thanks to
@Korbz), and an omega badger brush (I've had this for years and don't have any other info on what model it is), 2 passes 1xWTG and 1xXTG
First off the the pre shave oil... I really liked this, it's made primarily of castor seed oil and has, olive, clove, lavender and pepper in in it. I've used other pre shave oils that were ok but this stuff was sticky and warming and made a great base for the shave cream. Despite being unscented the clove oils gave it a nice subtle earthy aroma, grade = A+
The shave cream... as it was a small sample pack I bowel lathered and it produced a heap of rich lather. Compared to the C&E nomad i've been using for the the last 3 years it was like day and night. This stuff whipped up easy and went on thick. I probably could have added more water to it as I found it dried out a bit quick on the face. This also had a subtle scent that I couldn't quiet pick but was nice. Performance was great, again as compared to the nomad, it convinced me I definitely need top get some new soap but I'm not sure it would be this one, mainly because I've got my eye on some Shaver heaven stuff and not because there was anything wrong with this, If I had a tub of it I would put it in the rotation, grade = B
The after shave balm... (post alum) probably my least favourite of the samples, it was quiet thin and and although it put the whole lot on I still needed to apply some of the Proraso white post shave that I picked up this week as the balm dried quit quickly. I've not used balm before so maybe that's normal? grade = C
As a set this stuff worked great, produced a closer shave than I've been able to obtain up until now and left my face feeling great and despite being unscented I would say it had a subtle aroma that I liked. I wasn't used to the thickness of the lather and actually gave myself a few nicks as I didn't have the feedback I'm used too but that's operator error and just getting used to something new.
Thank again to
@cranky for setting me up with the samples
IMG_2231 by cranky, on Flickr
