Welcome!
IMHO, as long as you use a brush to create a nice lather any major brand will do the job. I'm not that much of a fan of the HSlick as there are plenty of other options available at much greater value. I find most HB creams and gels to be slightly overrated and....overpriced

I strongly agree with, Valldo.

Welcome to the forum TorontoDave. The bro's have given plenty of good advice that I will echo.

I use HeadSlick and have never had a problem with it drying up. I think Bill summed it up; make sure you have your scalp thoroughly wet and you shouldn't have any issue. Also, you only need about a nickel or dime size dollop and it will do the trick. If you want to get more involved and make a second pass, then you may want to heed the guys suggestions about a shaving brush. I haven't gone that route yet and I'm trying to keep it simple. I have enough shaving supplies and I rotate through different razors and creams/gels.
Good luck and let us know how it goes. 

You're catching all the "tricks of the pros" very quickly. And looking really good Sly.