For those of you who have read my recent reviews you'll know that I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to hair removal and so whilst I will occasionally try the creams designed to dissolve the hairs more often then not I'm stuck with shaving. Even that however is not without it's problems, I suffer from very dry skin on my legs and am prone to shaving rash so finding a razor that can combat both these problems as much as possible is important to me. (If anyone knows of any miracle workers I'm open to suggestions!)

I found the Venus Divine razor in ASDA several years ago now and haven't looked back. I was attracted to both the moisturising blades in the razor itself and the fact that all Venus blades fit all Venus razors and so whilst the blades are expensive and therefore I can't afford to use the more expensive ones as often as I would like to the option is there when I can afford to splash out on them. When I can't however, even the basic blades have built in moisture strips and so goes some way to combating my dry skin.


What Does It Look Like
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I actually quite like the look of this razor. It's a blue plastic with white rubber grips down both sides of the handle. Gillette define the handle as opalescent and I wouldn't quite go that far but it certainly is very attractive being almost translucent in the way it reflects the light at certain angles. The blade itself is an oval shape and white plastic. Just below this there is a plastic area that Gillette call a finger rest, this is the part you slide to remove and change the blade.


Features
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* Comfort-Coated Blades
* Moisturising Strips
* Skin-Smoothing Cushions
* Pivoting action
* Open blades allowing easy rinse
* Opalescent handle
* Enhanced grip
* Finger rest


My Opinion
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I love this razor, besides looking rather nice it does the job it's supposed to which is more then I can say for some other razors I've used.

The comfort coated blades seem to work well. Although I do use shave gel to try and help with my dry skin and shaving rash the razor does glide over my skin both with and without the gel. There is no discomfort at all if using the gel and minimum discomfort without the gel. The razor also has three blades designed to give as close a shave as possible the first time you go over an area and this really does work. I find that I only need to go over my skin once and the razor catches all the hairs and this in itself goes a long way to preventing discomfort and prevents too much damage to my skin by repeated shaving.

The blade does pivot at the end of the razor and I have several areas that are really awkward to get to with a usual razor - namely my bikini line and under my arms however I find that this pivoting action works wonders allowing the blades to reach awkward areas with minimum fuss and hassle. I do find that I have to go over the awkward areas twice as opposed to the usual once with other areas of my body but twice is usually sufficient to get all the hairs and this still isn't too damaging for my skin.

There are three moisture strips on this blade. One below the blades themselves and two above. These strips do seem to moisturise my legs as even on the rare occasions that I don't use gel my legs aren't as dry as they usually are. Although I do find that I still need moisturiser if I don't use the gel. The holder I've found doesn't stick brilliantly to the shower wall and so I tend to just use it flat but I would recommend still using it even if flat. This is to protect the moisture strips from water as on the few occasions I have just left the razor on the side of the bath you can actually see the cream/gel coming off the moisture strips. Whilst this is reassuring in the sense that it shows their doing something it does mean that some of it is getting waster. Having said this though I've always found that the blades blunt and need changing before the strips run out and so in this sense I guess a little wastage isn't too much of a problem but still something I'd rather avoid.

Gillette claim that since their blades are open it allows for an easy rinse to remove any excess hair/gel from the blade. I have found this to be true, this is probably one of the easiest razors to clean that I have ever used. I use a lot of shave gel, probably more then I need in reality, whilst this does protect my legs it does also have a rather annoying habit of clogging up the razor I'm trying to use. However with this razor I've found a quick rinse under a tap or even just dipping it into my bath water is enough to completely clean the blade allowing me to continue my shaving hassle-free!

The grip on this razor is fantastic with no problems. The sides are rubber and have ridges allowing me to easily keep hold of the razor in both the bath and shower no matter how wet, soapy and slippery my hands are. Gillette also say that the release button for the blade is a finger rest, now either I hold my razor really strangely or there is no need for a finger rest. I also think that having a rest in the same position as the release button for the blade isn't the smartest idea as it could mean that you could release the blade by accident. Having said that it is indented allowing me to easily slip my thumb under it when I try to release the blade and meaning that it doesn't slip when pressing the release down. The release also clips off easily and new blades clip right back on - I've never had any kind of problem when trying to change the blade.


I Want One - Where Can I Get It?
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This razor is available in most supermarkets, chemists and online for around £8 which includes both the razor and two heads. Replacement blades cost around £7 to £8 for 4 blades. Although as I said all Venus blades are compatible with all Venus razors and therefore you can use a variety of different blades offering different things and prices for these do vary.


Contact Information
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As far as I can see the only phone number is an American one so probably not one to call for any questions! However there is a form on their site to email.

https://www.gillettevenus.com/en_US/contact_us/in dex.jsp