Razors Can Be Chic! Meet the New Shaving Staples That Will Upgrade Your Bathroom Game

I have never owned a women’s razor. Even from the very beginning (a bare-bones silver Gillette Sensor Excel, circa late 1990s), my minimalist-leaning tastes led me to the men’s aisle and far, far away from anything resembling a pink plastic plaything. There was the spare Lucite-handled Pecksniff’s razor (since discontinued) that I inherited from an old boyfriend; I later made space on the shower shelf for Harry’s first-generation Winston razor, in a gleaming chrome finish. It’s not that I necessarily forsake all models thoughtfully created to suit the contours of a woman’s body. I just want one designed in the spirit of, say, Charlotte Perriand, the great 20th-century modernist partial to tubular-steel furniture and ball-bearing necklaces.

Which is why Mave, a new shaving collection spotlighted in the August issue of Vogue, is such a refreshing addition. Launched by Marisa Newman, a former gallerist who laughs that her lifelong interests have been “art and depilation,” the six-piece line elevates the basics, beginning with the custom razor—a sculptural, easy-to-grip white resin object that bears a striking resemblance to Brancusi’s marble Bird in Space. While the design celebrates form, the blade is all industry-tested function: After considerable market research, Newman manufactured her razor to fit Gillette Venus heads, which she buys in bulk and handsomely repackages in slide-top paper boxes (at no extra cost), effectively bypassing the locked cases at the drugstore. That refined sensibility extends to the rest of her ritual, which includes a chamomile-laced scrub, a body oil with soothing arnica and aloe, and a shave cream featuring a gentle coconut-derived surfactant. Of course, she, too, borrows from the boys: There’s a British-style shaving brush made with cruelty-free synthetic bristles that mimic classic badger.

Fortunately, the shaving landscape is fast evolving, and it’s increasingly feasible to assemble a handsome arsenal—for him, for her, for everyone. Here’s our guide to the new essentials, complete with an exfoliating wand for bikini season, a lemongrass-scented shave lotion, and the latest Winston razor, now with a rubberized grip for smoother sailing.

 

The post Razors Can Be Chic! Meet the New Shaving Staples That Will Upgrade Your Bathroom Game appeared first on Vogue.