This post brought to you by Gillette at Sam’s Club. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Suburban Men.
I have been putting this off, debating the decision over and over in my head. But today is the day: It’s time I lose the beard.
I’m blessed with thick full facial whiskers and the kind of beard that makes men proud to stroke their chin. I used to say the same about my hair, but as my wife will tell you, that ship set sail a few years back. I’m also cursed with soft, sensitive skin under that beard, so shaving is not one of my favorite tasks. I prefer the finer manly things, so a cheap razor not only doesn’t give me a clean, close shave, it often looks like someone took a weed whacker to my face. Plus, I want to enjoy the old-fashioned experience and ritual known as shaving.
So when Gillette approached me about giving the Gillette Fusion ProShield a try, I jumped at the chance. A quick trip to my local Sam’s Club and I was back home with a special pack including a razor and 11 blades that can last up to 9 months. After all, now that I had I made the commitment to get rid of the beard, shaving will now be a daily activity.
I liked how the razor felt in my hand: it has good heft and feels solidly built. The Gillette Fusion ProShield gave me the shaving experience I was looking for: clean and smooth with an appreciation for the art of shaving. A couple of features really stood out for me. The first is the lubrication strips before and after the blades that allow the razor to glide easily without scraping the bare skin. Next, Gillette’s flexball allows the blades to pivot around the contours of your face. Particularly useful for problem areas such as jawline, chin and under the nose. And finally, the precision trimmer, a single blade on the top of the razor for sideburns and shaped beards.
And now, the moment of truth: After taking down my beard with an electric trimmer, I put the ProFusion through its paces. The toughness of my newly shorn beard coupled with the fact that a razor hadn’t touched my face in over a year provided a real test for any razor. The lubricated strips allowed to the razor to glide over my skin without any catching or razor burn. And I noticed that I seemed to be getting a smooth, close shave with having to go over and over the same areas.
Satisfied with what I saw in the mirror, happy with how my skin felt although it hadn’t seen the light of day in over a year, I went downstairs to show my wife and daughters. After the widened eyes and “OMG DAD!”s I knew it passed the test when my wife ran her hand over my cheek and said, “so smooth!”. Seizing that opportunity, I announced we are having a date night tonight, making her already surprised eyes open even bigger and bringing a smile to my bride of 19 years. Beard or no beard, I still got moves.
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