First time purchases and advice

Hello B&B,
I'm super excited to get started with my first wet shave. I've looking into it for awhile and am hoping it helps with my terrible razor burn I get from cartridges. I've been watching nick shaves on Youtube for the past couple

I am ordering my beginners essentials on amazon and was looking for feedback/advice. Here's the line up:

Merkur 34c
Taylor of old bond street shaving cream, coconut
Persona lab blue blades
styptic pencil
I was looking for advice on the brush. I was going to get this one since it seemed like a nice best badger, but at a discount: http://amzn.to/1P61wZN

I was also curious about alum blocks? What are they used for and are they necessary?
What is a good aftershave for someone with dry skin?

Thanks for all your help! This is an amazing community!

First time purchases and advice