Begone Hairy Beastie (Gillette Venus)

Member Name:

Product:	Gillette Venus
Date:	26/05/01 (22 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hassle free, no blood, close shave

Disadvantages: Err, don't get a chance to wind hubby up now ;)

Ach, bummer - I've gone an put a different picture on my profile. If you seen my profile a while back you would have seen that my picture was of a rather hairy wee beastie that many people thought was some sort of kilt-wearing teddy bear. Nope, wrong I'm afraid, that was actually a picture of me before I discovered Gillette Venus razors. Ah well, you will just have to take my word for it or grab yersel a time machine and go way back to my old profile page for a look :)

BLOKES - don't run away yet, there's good news for you further down!

Hairs are the bane of my life (and I'm sure it's the same for many of you). Sleeveless tops or dresses require fuzz-free underarms, and skirts/shorts call for similarly fuzz-free legs. OK, I'll admit it, when it comes to de-fuzzing I am a lazy sod. I often find excuses and ways round having to get rid of unwanted hair like, um, wearing nylons at every possible opportunity (well - it might get chillier later on you know!!).

Unfortunately there are times such as holidays, weddings and such like when the only viable option is to do the whole de-fuzzing routine. Up until now I have tried just about every conceivable option such as:
• Electrolysis - OK for the bikini line (and that general area) but a rather expensive, boring and downright tedious option for legs.
• Depilatory Creams - Tried Immac ONCE and ONCE was enough, I was nearly physically sick with the smell of this stuff - it is totally mingin'.
•Electric 'ladyshave' type things - Arghh, five O'clock shadow on the legs is NOT nice!
•Waxing - OH MY GOD, this hurts like hell! Quite apart from being a torture technique better suited to a POW camp, this is the most inconvenient way. To get the best effects from waxing the hairs really need to be a reasonable length to allow the wax to get hold of them, so you have to resemble some sort of yeti in the weeks running up to the
waxing!
•Blokes razors - Ah-ha, the old favourite! Up until now this has been my preferred option, the old Gillette Blue II with lubricating strip (but don't tell my hubby!).

(Still here boys? Your good news is coming soon!).

Righty-ho, time for another confession - I am now officially a victim of advertising. I noticed an advert on telly for Gillette Venus and thought they looked worth a try. So off I toddled into 'Bodycare' the next time I was passing and picked one up.

The razor comes in a pack which includes the actual razor handle thingy, two blade heads, and a plastic casing which has sticky pads on the back should you feel the need to, err, stick it somewhere (if this razor was anything like BIC disposables I know where I was planning on sticking it!!). It is actually quite an attractive turquoise(ish) colour - but a bit tacky looking for wall hanging (in my humble opinion of course).

Down to the nitty gritty of critical razor reviewing then. The handle is all curvy and shaped in a really clever way so as whatever way you hold it it feels comfortable. A rubber section at the end of the handle makes it really easy to grip, and more importantly stops it from slipping.

The head is comprised of three elements. At the bottom there is a rubber honeycombed section which glides over the skin really smoothly. Next comes three blades, and at the top there is a strip with a blue line through it. This blue line is an indicator to tell when the head needs changed - when the line disappears the head is done. The whole head simply clips into the handle easily, and unclips really easily as well when it is finished. The head is really big and slightly arched. It also swivels quite a good bit, so it is great for getting into curvy bits such as round the underarms. One really good thing is that no hairs get stuck in between the blades, this is the first razor I have used where I can say that is the case.
>
I could try to say how much use you can get from each head, but obviously that is down to personal preference and circumstance. I am a bit of a 'razor-snob' never using the same one more than once. In saying that, I have used my Venus to do both legs and both underarms and the blue line is still in full flow, so I suppose you could get at least a couple of uses from them (if you aren't as picky as me!).

This is the bit that the blokes will be interested in - girls, this is 100 times better than any blokes razor. Really, believe me, you will never use a razor designed for hairy faces again after trying this one. There you go blokes, if you are sick of your wife/girlfriend/concubine using your razors go out right now and buy her one of these - she won't touch yours again ;)

The last major point I should mention is price. Mine cost £4.99 in 'Bodycare', and they are £5.99 in 'Boots'. The heads are available separately (though as I said, you do get two to be going on with when you buy the handle) priced £5.49 for four in Bodycare (sorry I never checked those in rip-off.... oops, I mean 'Boots'!!). Expensive - yes, but worth every penny.

Anyway, I will bore you no more. If you want to be fuzz-free without the hassle then I recommend you try these razors. If you don't like the sight of blood that seems to be a side-effect of using normal disposables then I recommend you try these razors. Even if you just like hanging tacky turquoise(ish) cases on your bathroom wall then I recommend you try these razors. Blokes, if you don't like 'her' stealing your razors then I recommend you buy 'her' these razors.

Ach damn it - just try them - you can thank me later!

[footnote]
Oh no, I've finally diversified into consumer goods {{{shudder}}} don't worry, normal service will be resumed shortly ;)

Summary: