Showing posts with label Idiots Guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Idiots Guide. Show all posts

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Cornerstone Shaving Box

If you follow the blog you may have seen my recent post, ‘An Idiots Guide to Shaving’ where I shared some simple advice on how to get that great shave. Where did I get these tips from? Well, the excellent folk over at Cornerstone, a flexible regular distributor of razor blades and men’s shaving supplies. 


Cornerstone Shaving Box
The box is starting to look a bit worn after a few months of abuse!


Cornerstone Shaving Box
The box before I got stuck in!

Oliver, the founder of the company not only talked me through the perfect shave back in April at the Man Made salon in central London, I was also provided with a full shaving kit so that I could go away and attempt that elusive perfect shave. 

Big smiles all around on my part and after using this now for a month where my face has actually been as hair free as it has been for years I feel that I can give a good run down of the products available, the shaving experience and whether you should be signing yourself or your other half up for a regular delivery.

Cornerstone have a simple philosophy of keeping things simple, yet everything from the box and product design screams understated class, from the clean and fresh face scrub, shave gel and post shave balm to the aluminium razor (you can even have your razor monogrammed with your initials - it‘s the small things that amuse me).

Delivery options couldn’t be clearer and once you have an account set up you can chop and change your options. Personally, as I use the excellent RazorBrite to keep my blades going for much longer I don’t need a regular delivery of blades. Simple, you can remove them and just select the shaving aids. Brilliant.

With no minimum term, free delivery, the ability to suspend or amend how often you receive a box, or simply reduce your order means that you, the consumer are in control of what you get. Another tick in the positive box! 

So, what did I think of my box?

Face Scrub

I have to admit, this is by far the most impressive thing in the box for me. A 100ml tube of the face scrub utilising cedarwood and volcanic sand provides one of the best exfoliating experiences I have ever had. The volcanic sand is perfect as an abrasive while remaining gentle on the skin. 


Cornerstone Shaving Box
No bogeys? Check, Ears Clean? Check - you may proceed with photos......

Cornerstone Shaving Box

A charcoal grey in colour I couldn’t detect the sand when I squeezed a bit onto my hand initially but as soon as I started to rub into my face you can feel the grains of sand. As it spreads across the face you can after about a minute see the tiny particles of sand. Awesome! 

Fragrance wise it is subtle and not overbearing. Despite giving it a good sniff (to the point some went up my nose) I just couldn’t identify it. Sorry! 

After using this and prior to shaving my face did have that post scrubbed glow, my face felt clean and my pores were well and truly open for business. Top notch stuff in my opinion and on a par at least with one of my personal favourites, Scaramouche & Fandango 'Fs' (face scrub)


It's the face scrub, not my filthy face that turned the water this colour!

So far, so good.

Shave Gel

The sensitive shave gel comes in a 150ml tube and uses a blend of ginger and eucalyptus. For me, anything that has a base fragrance of eucalyptus is a winner and this is no different - I love the fragrance, especially as the ginger aroma seems to activate as it is massaged into the face. 


Cornerstone Shaving Box

Cornerstone Shaving Box
Stephen's cold was getting worse and worse.....just kidding.....this is the shave gel

As a lo-lather shave gel you shouldn’t expect a face full of foam, oh no, what you get is very similar to my experience with Rehab London Argan Oil Shave Gel, just a smooth covering of the gel that changes from being quite clear to off white. 

Personally I have found that leaving it for around 60 seconds on the face works great for my face and that lack of lather really does help you when it comes to the actual shave experience. You really don’t need to work hard and the lather/gel doesn’t clog blades, not matter what brand you decide to use.

The Razor + blades

The razor is by far the coolest I’ve ever had, and now with hindsight I wish I had opted to have my initials engraved onto it. It is so lightweight even with a blade attached that you feel like you are playing around with a fencing sword as you swipe across the face. 


Cornerstone Shaving Box

The blades are really good, they last for ages and are spaced well so that even the thickest of the thickest hair will rinse off under water as you shave. Excellent in my opinion, and with that erm, razor sharp edge you really don’t have to apply that much pressure to remove those pesky hairs. 

Post Shave Balm

Personally this was the weakest of the box for me but that is not to say it isn’t good - after all, I have been mightily impressed with my Cornerstone box, so much so that it has taken me nearly 8 weeks to truly commit my feelings about the product to the blog - I really wanted to give the entire set a good road test.


Cornerstone Shaving Box

After using the products I didn’t have any irritation prior to using the balm so I can’t really comment on it’s soothing properties, but it did leave my face feeling soft and smooth. The fragrance is fairly subtle so no danger of over-powering any cologne or aftershave.

I am delighted that I have had the opportunity to try the Cornerstone range - not only did I meet some thoroughly lovely people from the company, I have been shaving properly ever since and have done so without leaving my face in need of bandages/my body requiring a blood transfusion! 

The fact that you can alter, amend and suspend deliveries is the clincher for me, and with everything above in mind there is nothing much more for me to say. 

Impressed, that’s me - seriously, give them a go.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Thursday, April 23, 2015

An idiots guide to shaving

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to the Man Made salon in central London to meet with the lovely folk from Cornerstone, a fairly new shaving subscription service and sample some of their products. 



While I have tried the kit I received as a sample once (and I have to say, was impressed), I do want to try it out a few times before giving a firm view on whether I would recommend it (all of the signs so far are positive) so keep a beady eye out for that one coming up. What struck me however when talking with the founder of the company, Oliver was his passion for the products and for shaving in general. When we first sat down and I asked the very simple question, “why”, the response resonated with me. 

What was the response? Dad’s, you’re all pretty bobbins at actually teaching your sons to shave properly (I’m paraphrasing here). It resonated so much that I tried to remember if my own dad had taken me to one side and suggested any tips to avoid shaving becoming a pain in the neck (literally). Nothing, squat, zip diddly - there was no father/son bonding moment over a razor blade as the thirteen year old me removed the first semblance of bum fluff from my face.

That lack of knowledge has resulted in me shaving like an amateur (and suffering) for well over twenty years. While writing this blog has opened my eyes (and pores) to new techniques and products, I felt compelled to share with you the Cornerstone six steps to a smooth, comfortable shave (and this acts as a rather nice warm up to my actual review of the products I used).

These tips have been taken directly from the amazing shaving guide I received and after following each step to the letter I have to say it made a big difference to my shaving experience - so why not share? Why not indeed.



Step One 

Before shaving take a warm shower to open up the pores in your face and soften the stubble. By doing this it should make it easier for your razor to cut each hair, giving a closer and more comfortable shave.

Step Two

Gently exfoliate your neck and beard area. By using an exfoliator with beads or grit like grains in a circular motion you can free an ingrown hairs and wash away any grime from the pores. This should leave a smoother surface for the razor to pass over and in theory reduce any cuts.

Step Three

Apply a shaving cream or gel of choice - from my experience, using a low lather gel or cream results in a better shave as the razor glides better over the face and doesn’t clog as much leaving stripes that require further attention.

Step Four

Make sure you have a fresh, sharp razor. There is no point following these steps if you are going to attempt to shave using a razor that has all of the sharpness of a blunt butter knife. The sharper the blade, the fewer passes of the beard area that are required.

Step Five

When shaving don’t press too hard and avoid shaving against the direction of hair growth. Going against the direction of growth results in hairs being cut at differing lengths, encourages ingrown hairs and that my readers is the main cause of the redness and itchy feeling.

Step Six

Rinse off any remaining shaving gel or cream with cold water. Not only does this spank you wide awake but it also serves to close the pores. Using a post shave balm, cream or serum is a crucial step, it helps to replenish your skin’s natural moisture and keep any skin irritation at bay.

There you go, six simple steps that have changed the way I shave. Yes, it takes longer to shave, but those extra minutes remove any danger of razor burn, I didn’t cut my face to ribbons and not a jot of irritation. For this I am truly thankful!

Choose your products carefully, chop and change to find what suits you personally and your own skin type, but if you follow this great guidance from Cornerstone then in my opinion you can’t go wrong.

Why not take a look at the Cornerstone website here and see if they can help you like they have helped me.

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