This Gentleman has been Refined...

It's been a big week in my shaving world. I switched from my Tech to a Gillette Slim Adjustable, I got a big shipment from Giovanni at Razor and Brush, including some new shave sticks I'm eager to try out, and last night I got a few free samples from The Gentleman's Refinery--shipped all the way to Japan, might I add!

I reckoned the least I could do was try them out and see what's up.


The Spread:


They sent me four little vials--Preshave oil, "The Standard" moisturizer and two after shave balms--"The Standard" and unscented. They also included three shaving cream samples--"The Standard", "Black Ice (Anise)" and unscented. Unfortunately, I absolutely hate the smell of anise so I'm not even opening that one.

Because the weather is drying out, and my skin has been feeling it, I decided to start last night with the moisturizer before bed.
The Moisturizer:


This is a very, very good product. Really. I put a dab on my hands and spread it around my face, and it INSTANTLY felt smoother and more supple. The cream absorbed into my skin within a couple of minutes, without any tackiness or greasy feeling at all; this is very important to me, as I hate the feel of stuff on my skin--I'm a hand washer. I didn't mind this at all, though.

The smell was pleasant (though the website says it is unscented...must be the essential oils and such?), I thought--sweet and fruity, with a familiar tang to it. My wife, however, didn't like it--she said it reminded her of Chinese herbal medicine. The wife wins on this one, I'm afraid, cause, well...She's my wife. The effects, however, are quite nice. When I woke up, my face felt better than it had for days.

This morning when I woke up, I decided to go try the shaving products. I went for the pre-shave oil (a first time for me), and The Standard Shave Cream and AS Balm.

I did my usual routine, hot shower with plenty of hydration for my beard. Then, I applied a few drops of the oil and spread it around. Using my massive Daiso mug (NOT optimal, I think) I whipped up some lather with the cream.

I am not usually a cream man. I like soaps, and I like face lathering. However, this whipped up nicely into a very slick, very cushiony lather in just a minute or so. My brush is small, but it did a fine job with this stuff.

I lathered up and went for my first pass with my Slim adjustable on 2, running a 3-shave-old Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge.

Silk. The shave just...glided. I couldn't even feel the blade. I had to keep touching my face to check that I had shaved...and I had. I did a normal 3 pass WTG, XTG XTG shave, and my face felt fantastic. 0 irritation, smooth and soft. My alum went on without a twinge, and then I rinsed and applied the standard AS balm.

The scent on this is the same as the moisturizer, so I'll probably have to move to the unscented for my wife. It went on smooth again, though it took a little longer than the moisturizer to sink in. Afterward, my face felt good...but not stellar. After the hype I'd read about this balm, and the great moisturizer, I was expecting fireworks. What I got was a smooth, fairly well moisturized face (not quite as well moisturized as, say, an MWF face) with none of the feedback of an alcohol AS splash.

I'm going to give these products a couple more days. I'll keep at the same routine for another three shaves or so, and come back to tell you my final verdict. Based on my initial experiences, though, I think I might have some shopping to do....If the wife says ok.