Gillette Venus Embrace

I am usually dubious of the latest Gillette razors, I mean really, how many more blades do you need to have a close shave? It's like that SNL skit where there were like 10 blades on the razor head. When will it end? And I can't stand the ultra girly ads/ packaging of the Venus razors (seriously, will a razor make you feel like a goddess - no, it's such a hassle to shave) so I normally opt for the guys razors - they are much less fussy.

I got one of the Embrace razors as a trial, and the first thing you notice that's different from the other Venus razors is that the handle has gummy grips so it doesn't slip out of your hand (if you have one of the old Venus handles all of the new razor heads are interchangeable). I think it's a bit hokey, but at least it's not pink. Next is the extra wide head: 5 blades, and more moisture strips that surround the blades with the usual ones above and below the blades.

The razor does give you a super close shave and the moisture strips are fantastic. My legs didn't feel as dry after a shave as the normally do, and I didn't get stubbly as quickly as I normally would. A few negatives though: the blades are rather expensive and involve lots of packaging for the new razor heads. The old Venus razors would come in a strip, that if you left in the shower would get all nasty. All of the embrace heads are individually wrapped to keep the blades safe, and now have a shower caddy that you can stick on the wall of your shower.

Also, if you leave the razor face down it gets all gooey and gross because of the moisture strips, so I keep mine face up in a dry spot of my shower (I opted out of the shower caddy). Overall, a pretty super razor that I will keep buying, but I'm sure that I would like it just as much with a few less blades.