Did Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power make the Boyfriend shave more often?

When it comes to men's grooming - most men like to keep it simple. And when it comes to shaving, most guys will just grab the closest disposable blade and think it will do the job. Case in point: the boyfriend who gets a 5 O'clock shadow only shaves twice a week - once midweek so it he maintains some decency for work and then again on the weekend when I see him and complain that his facial hair is too prickly for me to go near his face.

Apparently I'm not alone in the loathing of scraggy stubble look as over 50% of women in Australia* also regularly make this complaint and avoid kissing their partner as the prickly stubble irritates them.

Now the excuse from the boyfriend for not shaving more frequently is that his skin becomes sensitive and raw due to the razor blade scraping against it, causing him irritations. So when I was offered some Gillette sensitive shaving products to review, I was only too happy pass it over to him in my attempt to encourage more regular shaving.

Now the boyfriend was previously using his Gillette Mach3 razor and hydrating shaving gel so he was skeptical that he new goodies he got would make much of an improvement. I'm glad to say that he was happily wrong when he tried out the Fusion ProGlide Power razor.

Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power is the latest technological disposable razor offering from Gillette that was released last year. The thinner 5 blade is meant to cut more hair in one scrape, giving a closer shave around the contours of the face and an improvement to its predecessor the Mach3, but the boy doesn't feel there was a big enough difference to make him rush out and buy into the hype of 5 blades. He did say that the fusion Proglide blade retains its sharpness better than any other blades he's used, even after 4 weeks of use so for those who don't change their razors regularly, this would be a better (and cheaper in the long run) option. He also liked the ergonomically designed battery powered base which creates vibrations during use that helps the razor glide through his skin with less tug, meaning less irritations and rawness.

The Gillette Sensitive Skin Shaving Gel which turns into foam upon dispensing helped to soften his skin and facial hair enough to help give a comfortable shave and helps prevent redness and tightness of Skin. The boy already alternates between the hydrating and the sensitive skin variety (according to him, there was no difference in use).

His favourite new product to his shaving regime was the Gillette Intense Cooling Balm. The aloe based balm with its quick cooling and calming  properties helps to soothe and restore moisture as well as reduce some of the rawness of just shaven skin. The only downside is the scent is too overwhelming and slightly too pine-fresh for ones liking, especially for sensitive skin types as it can conjures up images of household cleaning products with the same scent. That aside, the balm is like a moisturiser for irritated skin that just helps restore the skin barrier function after its been scraped off by the razor.

So after all his new grooming products to try, did I succeed in getting my boyfriend to shave more regularly? I'm sad to say only marginally. We've come to an agreement where he shaves on days we see each other to save me the prickly stubble feel whenever I'm close to him and and he can have his scraggly facial hair at other times. Win-win I say.

What about you? do you prefer a clean shaven face or you don't' mind some facial hair?

Fusion ProGlide Power razor RRP A$16.99, Sensitive/Hydrating shaving gel 196ml RRP A$6.20, Intense Cooling Balm RRP 100ml A$11.99. Gillette products are available at supermarkets, pharmacies and Pricelines stores.

*Stats provided by P&G's Gillette 2013 study on a sample size of  over 1,000 Australian women aged 18-39. 

Breaking the Taboo: Grooming Downstairs

Today we are going to discuss some grooming habits that we don’t normally talk about. With that little intro, I’m going to launch straight into it – yep, lets talk about grooming your taboo area, aka your bikini area.

For the longest time (call me lazy), I never ventured into grooming that region. To me, it’s not an area of my body that I’m going to expose to publically so what I have is no one's business, preferring to let my garden grow au naturale.

Unfortunately that means in Summer when the weather gets hot and humid, I often get quite stuffy and sweaty downstairs. I didn’t realise it at the time but my unkempt garden added to the humid situation. Then there are the times when I'm in my bathers, the stray hairss would sometimes poke its head out, making it an all too embarrassing moment when I need to adjust my bathers to put them in place again.

Nowadays, I’m alot more savvy and have taken up laser hair removal (let me know if you are interested in seeing a post about that). But for quick maintenance jobs, I use specially designed tools for immediate results..

Gilette Venus Bikini kit – RRP $19.99

The shaver kit comes with a Venus embrace shaver with 5 blades for first time close shave to prevent excessive skin irritations. This is a pivoting razor with rounded edges and rubberised grip for comfortable hold and is suitable for use on all parts of the body (like legs, underarms, bikini line) where a close shave and smooth skin is desired.

The kit also comes with bikini trimmer - a single razor with attached comb to allow the thinning out of hair in the bikini area as well as to shorten its length. It doesn’t cut hair at the base so there is no fear of the stubble feel and guaranteed to not gives you any nicks or cuts as the blade never touches the skin. In a few quick strokes, I managed to tame my unkempt wild garden into a neat and trim hedge.

Best of all the kit comes with an Olay bikini moisturising lotion, which I use on all shaved areas, not just in the bikini area to rehydrate, soothes any irritations and protect and smooth skin with its lightweight non-greasy vitamin e and B3 enriched formula. I also like that it’s fragrance-free so that there is no risk of irritating sensitive skin straight after shaving.

Now that I’ve discovered new tools for grooming, I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to doing it. Honestly it’s fast, easy and so convenient, anyone who wants to avoid a hairy faux pas at the beach or pool (or just want more air flow through their cotton knickers) should get a hand on one of these kits quick smart.

The bikini trimmer is also sold separately – RRP $6.99 at all leading supermarkets, Priceline, and selected pharmacies.

Do you have a grooming routine or do you prefer au naturale? 

This featured product was provided for consideration.

It's a Close Shave with Trishave & Gillette Venus Embrace

You may or may not know this but I’m currently undergoing laser hair removal treatments so in between the 6 weekly sessions, epilating (my preferred hair removal method) is a no-no and I can only shave the re-growths.

With the warmer weather, I can’t hide the re-growths under layers of clothing as often so am having the find the most comfortable shaving process to minimize razor bumps and irritated skin and I honestly think I’ve found the winning combination in these two products

Trishave 3 in 1 Shave Creme for Women* - 100g RRP A$8.50

I’ve actually never heard of the brand or knew of its existence before my ABBW visit in September where I was introduced to it. Dermotologist approved, this 3 in 1 formula gives a great shaving experience as it’s a cream that you apply as you would a body moisturiser onto skin (I apply with damp hands to get a lathering effect in preparation for the shave).

It softens the hair and prepares it for the shave, acts as a lubricant during the shaving process and also is a moisturiser to leave skin hydrated. The tea tree oil sooths and prevents redness and razor bumps and I haven’t’ experienced any irritation after shaving unlike previous times prior to using this product. This conditioning soap-free formula also smells amazing with the slight rose scent mingled with the stronger tea tree oil (so if you don't like the scent of tea-tree, you may not like the smell of this product).

Results are incredibly smooth silky skin that feels likes every singled hair has been removed (close inspections showed I did missed a few finer hairs but it still feels so smooth!) and this lasts for 3-4 days on my legs and longer for my underarms as hair grows back slower in that area.

Best of all I don’t suffer from the scaly skin effects often seen after shaving and I also don’t have to spend extra time moisturizing my legs or rinsing out the shaving cream which makes it great for last minute quickie jobs before heading out.

ingredients listing

Trishave is available at Coles supermarkets and Priceline stores.

Gillette Venus Embrace  Pink - RRP A$14.99 
(A$21.95 for 4 replacement cartridges) 

With 5 blades and a pivoting head that helps to contour the curves of body, it provides a close shave and takes a lot more hair off in one swipe. It also contains a guiding strip to guide hair into the razor and is surrounded by a strip of water activated-moisture for a smooth gliding shaving experience. I like the fact that the handle is covered with a pink silicon grip for ergonomic handling and it feels comfortable using the razor at all times.

The razor heads are replaceable so when the blades go dull, you can always pop on new replacement heads. I’ve always found the blades with heads to be on special in supermarkets more often so just buy a complete new pack which comes with 2 blade heads and a shower pod with a suctions to attached to shower glass or tile walls (which I personally don't care for but other people may find it handy). 

Together these 2 products have been keeping me smooth and silky and I may even rethink my dislike of shaving now that I've found this great shave creme and easy-to-use razor combo.

Gillette Venus Embrace is available at all major supermarkets, Priceline stores, Big W, Kmart, Target and most other pharmacies.

Do you prefer shaving or waxing? Which at home products do you use? 
Products marked * have been provided for consideration but I'll gladly purchase. All other products have been purchased by me. 

Gillette Fusion ProGlide & Gillette Series Skincare

Most people’s theory’s when it comes to many things in life is that if it ain't broke, don’t fix it. This is especially true with men and grooming products - once they find something that they are comfortable with, they're content and continue to use the same product many times over and not look for alternatives.

Never mind that advancement in technology means newer, better products are always being put to the market, most of them just aren't interested or curious enough for the change.

Case in point is Big DD, the family patriarch.. For the past decade (has it been that long already?) I’ve always known him to use his Gillette Mach 3 razor. Sure he’ll replace the blades every month once they become blunt but he was never curious enough to try anything else different.

This all changed 3 weeks ago when  I handed over to him the newest razor technology from Gilette.

Gillette Fusion Proglide Razor - RRP A$13.99 | A$16.99 (Power model)

Fusion ProGlide Manual and Power Razor

A culmination of years of research and testing on over 30,000 men, the latest in Razor technology is the Gilette ProGlide.

• One the best innovation products of the year, 2.5 million razors were sold in the first 10 weeks of its release in America!
• Contains 5 re-engineered low cutting blades that are super thin to give the closest shave, helps to glide effortlessly across the face without drag or pull. 
• Blade stabiliser that flexes to adjust to the contours and plane of the face yet still maintain even spacing between blades. 
• Available in a manual or battery boosted Power version which vibrates to allow the microcomb strip to guide stubble to the blades. 
• Has a gel lubrastrip to lubricates the blade to ensure smooth and even shaving as the razor glides past, giving the most comfortable shave ever, a rubber snowplough channels to guide excess shaving product. 

Big DD tried out the Power razor and he agreed, it’s time to retire his Mach 3. He was so impressed that the latest razor not only gives him the closest, smoothest shave ever, but it’s comfortable to hold being ergonomically design, is lightweight and really doesn’t tug, drag or pull when gliding across the face. In fact he even commented that the power vibration makes the shave even more enjoyable and couldn’t nick himself even if he tried to.

Gillette Series Skincare
With the Latest fusion Proglide release are some complementing Gillette Series skinare products - the Thermal Facel Scrub, Hydra Shave Gel and Intense Cooling Balm. 

Thermal Facial scrub 100ml - RRP A$12.99

Goes on skin with a warming feel which is welcoming on these cold winter mornings. It contains fine particles to gentle scrub away oil, dirt and dead skin cells. Big DD comments that this was very pleasant to use and the same refreshing scent isn’t over-powering and left his face feeling smooth and soft. 

Hydra Gel for Sensitive Skin 73g - RRP A$6.99

Contains Aloe Vera and vitamin-E to lubricate and prep skin and help give a smooth gliding surface for the razor to glide over whilst reducing the experience of razor burns or irritations. Big DD likes how this blue gel lathers up so wells upon rubbing into skin and helps give friction-less shave whilst moisturising his skin and left his skin feeling very soft. He like the light refreshing scent which adds to the enjoyable experience.


Intense Cooling balm 100ml - RRP A$11.99

Instant cooling and hydrating to calm down any irritations from just-shaved skin to help you continue the comfortable shave experience. It then continues to provide hydration through the day to sooth and keep the skin soft and moisturised. Big DD likes to finish off his shave with this lightly scented gel lotion as he says “it’s light, cooling and refreshing and just helps soothes my skin”.

With the latest Gillette Fusion Proglide, I think Big DD is convinced to move on with technology and upgrade to this latest razor that doesn't nick skin and with the Gillette Series skin care, gives the most pleasant, smoothest and comfortable shave ever.

Gilette Fusion Proglide and skincare products are available now at supermarkets and selected pharmacies.

These products were sent for consideration and the review was brought to you by Big DD.