A Close Shave: the New Gillette Venus Swirl Razor Review

More than a handful of times, I’ve heard friends joke that if it weren’t for workout shorts and capri-length tights, they’d have very little motivation for shaving their legs through the winter. It’s a fair complaint — not only do you fight the typical issues of trying not to nick every crease or tendon, but you’re also trying to shave dry, uncomfortable skin while avoiding making it even more dry, ashy and rough. Not an easy task.

A few weeks ago, I found a display for the new Gillette Venus® Swirl™ razor in my local Target. I pushed a button and watched in awe as the head of the razor twisted from side to side to glide over a ridiculously shaped wheel. Supposedly, the razor’s FlexiBall™ hinge enables it to contour “better to tricky areas for a flawless shave.” Sounded promising enough — but at $9.99 for the single razor and cartridge, I passed.

Imagine my excitement, though, when one showed up in the mail from BzzAgent. The campaign pack promised that “unlike traditional razors that move in two directions, Venus Swirl glides in multiple directions to reach spots other razors may miss.” Also — it highlighted that I could combine the razor with Touch of Olay® Violet Swirl™ shave gel for adding moisture, closeness and comfort. The test was on.

The razor came packaged in what is likely the most easily opened razor package I’ve ever seen. Simply split 8-10 small perforations, fold the container in half and slide your razor out. Hands wet or dry, you can still snag your shaver without an epic battle against the plastic.

Unlike my go-to disposables, the Swirl came action-packed with 5 Contour™ Blades sandwiched by two water-activated MoistureGlide™ strips. Also noted was the MicroFine comb that promised to guide “virtually every hair” to the blades.

But, the real question — did it work? Could it really hold up to all those promises? I hopped in the shower and lathered up to put the Venus Swirl to the test, and the results were surprising.

After some time on the road, wrapped in winter gear and really putting my skin through the wringer on dry, cold mountains — it’s safe to say I needed both a shave and a moisture boost. In the condition they were in, my legs were a pair of pretty perfect test subjects.

As recommended, I generously smeared the shave gel over each leg. A little went quite a long way. It was notable silkier than gels I’ve used in the past. Very smooth and, I was surprised to say, a bit more lush than I’m used to. The time had come to snag the ultra-hyped razor and see what it could do.

The first drag up the side of my calf left me wondering if I’d shaved anything at all. There was very little resistance between the blades and my skin — not at all what I’m used to or expected, but it would make sense that you don’t really want a razor ripping at your skin anyway (hello, razor burn?!). I checked the path to note that all traces of hair were gone and proceeded to swipe again.

I was still unsure of the effectiveness of the razor when I finally reached my knee. I save those suckers for last because, let’s be honest, they’re they absolute worst. Having shaved nearly my whole leg, I still felt as though it wasn’t possible that the hair was actually coming off. I continued on — gliding the blades over my knee cap, up the sides and along the tendons.

The wide ‘plate’ that the blades sit in actually made it quite cumbersome in the nooks of my leg. Areas like behind my knees, in my bikini line or under my arms actually felt very awkward trying to get good contact with the blades and it took significantly more repeat swipes than usual to feel as though I got everything.

I did, though, complete the task. Rinsed and dried, it became very apparent that the Swirl had actually done a pretty smash up job. There was not a single nick where I would usually have at least a couple. No razor burn at all. And the promised moisture was actually there as well. Even without the typical follow-up lotion, my legs actually looked significantly more radiant after shaving than usual.

With a little post-shave research, I found that a refill of 4 cartridges will set me back about $20. Having no idea how long a single cartridge will hold up — I’m rationalizing that this could be a perfect investment for summertime shaving and pool lounger-ready legs. While I definitely had my doubts — my legs tell the tale: the Swirl offers more moisture, less damage and unmatched silky smoothness compared to my typical disposable razor. This is one I’ll be heading back to the store for.

As a BzzAgent, Gillette has provided me with a free Gillette Venus Swirl razor and travel-size can of Violet Swirl shave gel for purposes of providing a review. I received both products and coupons at no charge to me. I am under no obligation to return them and can keep them for my own personal use.

This post originally appeared on Prettyography.