Free sample of Art of Shaving - Shave Results

[WilliamIam]

I am visiting family in Washington DC, and in Union Station there is an Art of Shaving New York store.

They were giving away free sample kits that include shave cream, preshave oil, and aftershave balm.

I tried all three of these this morning, with my Pure Badger brush, my '78 Gilette SuperSpeed, and a Feather DE blade with 2 previous shaves on it.

I have to say I was very impressed with the shave cream.

All items were unscented - which means they don't have extra scents added, not that they have no scents of their own. The preshave oil smelled like teatree oil, the shave cream itself smelled faintly sweet, and the aftershave doesn't seem to have any smell at all.

I started with hot water rinsing my face for 2-3 minutes. Then I applied the pre-shave oil, and used the entire 3mL. It seemed thick, but did not seem unpleasant. I think I could have gotten away with only 2mL, but it doesn't seem to spread easily.
The shave cream is amazing. It is plenty hydrating and creamy, and says it can be used with or without a brush. I'm not sure if it's natural or chemicals, but it does look pretty synthetic to me.
It lathered better and faster than my arko - I applied it to my face, then lathered on face, since I'm in travel mode. The lather was moist, thick, and luxurious, but didn't feel quite so wet as my other lather has been.

The shave went well, I had skipped shaving yesterday because I might be coming down with something. I had little irritation, and was impressed with the comfort of the shave. I've always had a less comfortable DE shave than with my straight, and it's always been one of my complaints.
I was even willing to be more aggressive, and do a second ATG pass on my trouble spots. This too had very little irritation, certainly much less than usual.

I applied witch hazel as usual after each pass, but forewent it for the shave oil before my first pass. I then showered, and applied the ASB after my mirror cleared. I don't have any visible irritation, and my face feels fine. It felt slightly dry, but no more dry than after any other shave with a DE.

I'm not happy with the ASB, but it's not terrible. I usually use Skin Bracer. Normally, my face feels nice, soft, and smooth. With the AOS ASB, it feels dry to the touch - almost sticky. It almost feels like touching a resin lump at your local billiard hall, except it's skin.

I recommend the Shave Cream, and the Pre-Shave oil, but it's not my type of shave cream.
ALSO - I saw someone being prepped for a shave while I was there. They might even do straight shaves, but I'm not sure if they do or not.
I'm not sure about their prices, but there was a $25 off a complete shave kit coupon in my sample box. It looks very ritzy, and I'm sure their prices match.

I'll try the Shave Cream again tomorrow, but pass on the ASB. The pre-shave oil is already gone, but I've been gifted a sample kit by my brother in law.

I'll update with the results with the cream only. Though I did skip a day's shave, these results are better than what I normally get with my DE, even after a skipped day.

Happy Shaves
William

 

[michiganlover]

The Art of Shaving shaving creams, and shaving soaps are very well respected on this board. They are top notch.

The Pre-Shave Oil is nearly universally hated: too thick, and it really gunks up your brush. Not to mention, pre-shave oils are vastly overpriced for what they are: a few common oils, mixed with a nice fragrance. You can mix up your own concoction for far less money; overall I think preshave oils are a waste of time if your lather is up to par.

By the way, the full size kit costs $100. It has full size versions of the shaving cream, aftershave balm, and preshave oil, along with a pure badger brush.

I applied witch hazel as usual after each pass, but forewent it for the shave oil before my first pass.

I can't say I have ever heard of anyone doing this. I apply witch hazel at the end of my shave (before applying my aftershave splash). What is the benefit of applying it at the end of each pass? It seems to me, it would lead to your face being extra dry.

 

[joglander]

I like the AOS preshave oil and notice a difference when I don't use it. The after shave balm helps with razor burn, if you ever get it, and with tiny weepers. I've not tried any other brands.

 

[closer]

I'm not happy with the ASB, but it's not terrible. I usually use Skin Bracer. Normally, my face feels nice, soft, and smooth. With the AOS ASB, it feels dry to the touch - almost sticky. It almost feels like touching a resin lump at your local billiard hall, except it's skin.

The AoS ASB is thicker than most, and a little goes a long way. I find it to be excellent.

 

[WilliamIam]

Maybe I'm just not the ASB type, but I didn't like the change in the feel of my skin. I'm sure it worked fine to help with burn and weepers.

I came up with the witch hazel on my own - it helped at the ends of my shave, so I added it in the middle. I don't notice additional drying, but it helps me avoid irritation during the shave. Makes a big difference and helped me go from DFS to BBS on almost every straight shave. Seems to tighten up my skin and make it more resistant to nicks.

As for the Preshave Oil, It's the first I ever used. And it helped, but I couldn't speak for the overall quality compared to others.

 

[Alec79]

I had this sample pack when I bought my EJ razor from the Gentleman's Shop. I didn't enjoy it at all. The preshave oil no doubt does what it's supposed to do but it feels as if you are rubbing lithium grease on your face and it's difficult to get it of your hands. The cream seemed nice and luxurious but when I put it on my face, I could feel a burning sensation and horrible rash afterwards. The balm was good but not worth the money.

If this is what a high end cream does to my face, I'll stick with Erasmic and Boots Cool Cologne, much, much cheaper and they don't bring me out in a rash.

 

[gabes_shadow]

The Art of Shaving shaving creams, and shaving soaps are very well respected on this board. They are top notch.
...overall I think preshave oils are a waste of time if your lather is up to par.

 

[ackvil]

While at Nordstrom's, and AOS representative gave me some samples to try. Like some others have said, I found the pre-shave oil to be too thick. However, it did an acceptable job if I applied it sparingly. The creams were good - but I did not find them any better than the TOBS, T&H, GFT, or Proraso shaving creams I normally use. The ASB was not as good as what I normally use (GFT skin remedy).

 

[Go West Young Man]

AoS's preshave and ASB are super thick, so you only needs 2-3 drops. Using the whole bottle for one shave is crazy!

 

[sanuginz]

forget about finding a parking spot at union station. you can drive around for hours and get nothing. oh, and aos has some good products.

 

[texaninkc]

i wonder if they're still giving some out. wouldn't mind taking the samples on a trip i have this week. do i really want to go to Union Station though? ehhh. For you locals, I might try heading to the Pentagon City shop to see if they're giving away the same promo. Some have mentioned the barber at Union Station. I don't think it's with a straight. I got a free shave there once and they used the Fusion, but perhaps they did so to try to get me to buy it.

 

[Xezmer]

I'm not happy with the ASB, but it's not terrible. I usually use Skin Bracer. Normally, my face feels nice, soft, and smooth. With the AOS ASB, it feels dry to the touch - almost sticky. It almost feels like touching a resin lump at your local billiard hall, except it's skin.

You didn't use all of it at once, did you?

The Preshave oil sampler gets me 3 shaves.

The Cream sampler gets my 5-6 shaves, easily.

The after balm gets me 4 shaves.

 

[merchantbanker]

Their products exceed standards in many regards. Their products run a little thick, and with the exception of their soaps, I usually only use their products during fall / winter seasons. Their gels are great, but I prefer splashes in the summer. I use the AS balm in the winter which is thicker and takes longer to sink into the skin than most balms. Provides a hell of a lot of moisture though, and the natural ingredients bumps them up another point in my book. They also do a great job at packaging their products. Something the 3 T's should look to imo.

Glad you (author of this thread) enjoyed your shave w/ AoS.