Influenster Cosmo VoxBox review: Gillette Venus Embrace and Venus & Olay razors

Hello all!

Today's post is Not Polish Related (NPR), but I thought some of you might still be interested.  I got sent an Influenster Cosmo VoxBox for review.  Here's what I got for review:

I'm breaking up the box into a few, more in-depth reviews; today, I compared the Venus Embrace razor cartridge to the Venus & Olay razor cartridge.  My thoughts are as follows:



 I got sent a regular Venus Embrace razor, which is a 5 blade razor with a slightly curved razor head, as well as a Venus & Olay razor, a 5 blade razor with lotion/lubrication bars on the top and bottom of the razor.  Since you can fit any Venus razor blade to any Venus handle, they only had to send one along with the pair of razors; pretty handy!

I'll start with the regular Embrace razor:

I liked the curve of the razor head; I thought it glided really nicely across my skin, and I credit the shape for that.  I also liked how flexible the razor head was; I could tell I wasn't going to get any nicks or scrapes, always beneficial.  The razor is very lightweight, and the handle is obviously set up to be quite easy to hold.

You do have to use shaving cream with this type of razor, not my favorite thing, and while I got a pretty good shave with it, it wasn't the closest I've ever achieved.  I have heard that 5 blade razors are better for your skin, as they require fewer passes to get a decent shave, and I do have to say I didn't have to go over any spots more than once.

Next, the Venus & Olay razor:

I assumed this razor was meant to be used without shaving cream, a definite plus in my book (I hate using shaving cream, and almost always prefer a razor with a built in moisture bar).  The little moisturizer bars are very flexible, allowing you to get a very close shave, which was fantastic.

I do think that the bars are on the smaller side, so they'd become useless after fewer shaves than most people would like, but I see that as a hidden plus.  While you can't get the benefits of the moisturizer bars as long as you might like, you'll be more likely to replace your razor regularly.  Since razors can harbor bacteria over time, and dull razors are not good for your skin, replacing them regularly is a really good thing to do for yourself.  The bonus of not having to fuss with shaving cream outweighs any loss of longevity in my book, but different strokes for different folks, as they say!

I didn't like the scent of the moisturizer bars; it was strong, and while it had undertones of cocoa butter, it was sort of a strong soapy-floral scent that just wasn't my thing.  Thankfully, the scent washes away as you bathe, so I'm not stuck smelling like the bars.  One final issue with this razor is there's no protective case to put over the bars; I don't think I could travel with this razor, as it could gum up all of my other toiletries.

Both of these Gillette Venus razor cartridges are pretty good, with my preference going to the Venus & Olay one for everyday, and the Embrace for traveling.  Stay tuned for more Influenster Cosmo VoxBox reviews!

*Products were provided to me by Influenster for review, but all opinions are my own and were not influenced by any external source.