Welcome
@smlcfc
I am a recent convert too with similarly sensitive skin. Hopefully my experiences can help you.
I recommend watching videos on YouTube. I started with Mantic59 videos and it was a great start for me. I would recommend 4 things:
1) learn the direction of how your heard grows on your face. It may well not just go from North to South. This impacts the direction in which you shave With the Grain, Cross the Grain and Against the Grain.
2) just shave With and Cross the grain for some time. Against the grain is more likely to cause irritation, so hold off. Work on shaving right and close shaves will come, don't chase the close shave as you will irritate your face.
3) don't press the razor into your skin, glide over the surface. Pressing on the skin means you will take off skin cells with the hair and this is a prime cause of irritation.
4) stick with it. You skin adjusts to a new regime, so combined with improved technique, you will quickly find your shave improves, your neck settles down and you stop getting razor bumps.
Brush:
I would get the following, an Omega or Semogue boar brush. There are plenty of designs to choose, they are cheap but excellent brushes. Boar brushes need to be well soaked before use as the hair fibres swell and become more supple, at least 3 or 4 mins in warm water, best to leave while you shower or whatever.
Soap:
For soaps/cream this is a very personal choice, ask 20 people and you will get 20 answers. My answer is get on eBay and order 100g Vitos red from gemstone trading. It does have a marzipan scent but isn't that strong. I find the performance to be brilliant and it is not expensive. Choosing this soap you would need a container to store the soap in once it arrives. Alternatively you can get samples of a range of soaps from Shavedash.
Other soaps that I would recommend as an alternative with not too great a cost:
Tabac - available for £7 on eBay as a refill without a tub
Palmolive stick - 50p at ASDA
Cella - £7ish for a tub
Blades:
There are plenty of blade samples available. I think it is best to not just buy a random sample but to choose specific blades. The most commonly recommended blades are:
Polsilver iridium
Rapira Swedish
Ladas
Sputnik
Voskhod
Astra Super Platinum
5-10 of each of those should give you a good start.
Pre shave:
Hot shower is best/easiest. Failing that I find a hot face wash in the sink helps soften my beard. Applying Lather onto a damp face helps add ensure a slick shave.
Bowl:
No need to use one as you can load your brush and then lather directly on your face. Dip the tips of your brush in water to add extra moisture to the lather. If you prefer to lather in a bowl then a cereal bowl does fine - so worth seeing what you prefer.
Post shave:
There is no right or wrong and you will need to try things out to see what works. Alum isn't necessary but I like it, the feedback it gives on a shave via the amount of sting, the taughtening of the skin it provides and the antiseptic qualities. I also like a balm and in summer I think you will find something lighter better. Nivea Sensitive Aftershave Balm is well regarded and not expensive, though personally I really like Trumpers Skin Food as it cools my skin well and leaves it feeling great. Again you will need to choose what works for you via some degree of experimentation.
Finally, ask questions. The people on this forum are amazingly helpful and generous.
Hope this helps!