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A newbie explores cheap American store bought aftershaves.

I'm hoping this survey of cheap over the counter American aftershaves will be of some use to other newbies and at least mildly amusing to the more experienced crowd. I started using Aqua Velva about 2 months ago and liked that a lot. Then a few weeks later I picked up some skin bracer and liked that too. I found myself going back to the bottles from time to time and even giving myself the occasional small dab as a refresher in the evening. Then I went a little crazy and decided to do a tour of store bought splashes under $10. Over the last week or two I've picked up Aqua Velva Ice Sport, Aqua Velva Musk, Pinaud Clubman, Old Spice Classic, Family Dollar Spice, Barbasol Brisk, Stetson Cooling Moisture, English Leather, and Murray & Lanman Florida Water. Before too terribly long I'll be picking up Brut, Lectric Shave, and maybe the Adidas splash as well. I'll also be keeping my eye open for any others that fall into the category. I like to use things a few times before I really form an opinion of them so every three or four days I'll come in with my thoughts as I evaluate each one of these splashes.

About Me: I started shaving B&B style at the beginning of February 2015 so I'm about 6 months in right now. I have skin that is fairly normal being neither very oily nor prone to dryness except a little bit during winter. I don't think my skin is extremely sensitive, but it is not tough as leather either. I've gotten to the point where I don't generally experience a lot of irritation after a shave, but as I've just got my first adjustable, I'll be experimenting with the more aggressive settings a little bit so that may provide some opportunity to test the healing properties of some of these splashes. I generally like to use Alum and rinse it off after a couple of minutes, but I will test all of these with and without. I do also occasionally use Witch Hazel in my post. Before I started getting into alcohol splashes, I used Nivea Sensitive balm. I find it too moisturizing for summer use so that led me here.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment.
 
Aqua Velva Ice Blue

Price: $4.79 for 7 oz(207ml) bottle at a local mega mart.

Ingredients on bottle: SD Alcohol 40-B, Water, Glycerin, Fragrance, Menthol, Benzophenone 1,Ext. Violet 2, Blue 1.

Bottle: A clear plastic bottle with a wide mouth flow reducer. At first I thought the bottle with it's huge opening in the flow restrictor was hideously bad. Then I realized the shape of the flow restrictor is like it was designed for a finger tip. Once I figured that out, controlling the flow was simple with no waste and no over pour. Vez has a video demonstrating that here http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/463344-Dispensing-aftershave-without-spilling!.

Scent: I really like the scent. The open is citrus-mint which dries down to a pleasant clean powder or musk that is not heavy or cloying. I was worried that I'd be projecting too much, but slapping a moderate amount on a damp face doesn't leave you with a massive scent wake. After the initial dry down, the scent stays close in and mild for 6 to 8 hours on me. Interestingly, if I put a couple of drops in my Williams, the opening notes last throughout several passes so you can prolong that nice citrus mint effect.

Skin Feel:
The Menthol is quite noticeable for several minutes after application. The alcohol, while strong enough to remind you of a bad shave, is not overwhelming. The post shave feel is exactly what I like, smooth, soft, not too dry, but not sticky at all. This can handle light irritation on its own and with an alum block can cover any problems I've thrown at it yet.

Thoughts: After trying it, I understand why this is a classic. It's a nice well balanced clean fragrance that leaves an excellent skin feel for very little expense. It shines when you're active out doors as a little perspiration and fresh air open up the fragrance and keep it present while keeping you fresh in the heat. It's so pleasant though that I think you could use it year round. I've used it maybe 25 or 30 times now so I feel very familiar with it. Overall, I give this my strongest recommendation.
 
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Skin Bracer Original

price:
$4.50 for 5 oz.(147ml) at a local small grocery.

ingredients: Water, SD Alcohol 40-B, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Menthol, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Yellow No.5, FD&C Blue No.1

bottle: Clear plastic bottle with wide mouth suitable for finger stopping. Interestingly, the cap is not a threaded screw cap, but has a rather unusual clip system inside that releases the lid with just a minor twist and pull. The cap is quite secure on mine.

scent: A sweet mellow fragrance with only a light powderiness at the end. The dominant note is kind of like fruity pebbles, but rounder and fuller with a little bit more complexity and balance. There is nothing weird or harsh or overbearing about this at all. You're not going to leave vapor trails with this unless you use it aggressively. the scent fades over 3 or 4 hours for me and is close in and well behaved within 15 to 30 minutes. The scent changes very little from start to finish except for intensity. If you smell the bottle you have a very accurate picture of what you are in for.

skin feel:
There is a nice menthol feel that lasts for a few minutes at the beginning. The alcohol is not strong but is capable of giving a little feedback if you've been bad. The propylene glycol does provide some moisturization. Overall, the skin feel is pretty good, but I detect just the slightest bit of tackiness to the touch. Not nearly enough to be annoying, but just enough to say that Aqua Velva is slightly better. I wonder if this is the difference between using glycerin and propylene glycol as your moisturizer. It can handle light irritation, but for anything more serious, i'd supplement it with an alum block or some witch hazel.

thoughts:
My second aftershave splash. Another classic that grows on you quickly. I can imagine myself using it regularly as I've become increasingly fond of it. It's effective and comfortable while being well mannered and pleasant. I give it a strong recommendation.
 
Aqua Velva Ice Blue and Skin Bracer are the two essential aftershaves. I compare everything else to them. I do have a couple splashes that may be better, or maybe not.
 
Thanks for conducting this study and reviews. I have everything you mentioned in your first post except Murray & Lanman Florida Water. I'm looking forward to your assessments.
 
Aqua Velva Ice Blue and Skin Bracer are the two essential aftershaves. I compare everything else to them. I do have a couple splashes that may be better, or maybe not.
I always go back to AV. When I first began my quest, I sniffed Skin Bracer in the super market and managed to spill it all over my hands. I smelled exactly like my grandfather, and I was convinced that everyone in the store was staring at me. I think that spoiled it for me for the rest of my life.
 
Another thought: Don't forget about the various private label knockoffs, most of which are made by Vi-Jon. You already mentioned Family Dollar Spice and that's apparently the least expensive store to buy that. For example, the CVS version, which appears to be identical, is usually $5.99. The bottle looks the same, only the paper label is different.

OTOH, I really like the CVS version of Mennen Skin Bracer (mine was purchased over a year ago so it might have been changed), it has more menthol 'punch'.
 
I can see why 'the States' has a lot of store branded versions compared to up here. You're prices always seem high when I see them posted by somebody. Like, you're Velva was $4.79, which in Canadian money would be $6.32. Here though, for the same bottle I pay $3.49. Incredible!

Anyway, I like when these reviews pop up, because I get an idea of these things I never get to see, so I'll have things I can order in the future :thumbup1:
 
Nice reviews. These products are all classics for a good reason - they work great, smell great, and cost a little. That's a winning trifecta for me.
 
Good start, can't wait to hear your impressions of the rest. Also, I'd recommend picking up Afta. It's a nice light "balm". And super cheap. If you thought Nivea was too moisturizing, I think you'll like it.
 
Looking forward to more! Just one piece of advice. Skip the Lectric Shave. It's really a pre-shave for an electric razor and doesn't really have much scent and what's there isn't great.

Joe
 
Hey don't forget the Barbasol aftershaves found at Dollar General stores nationwide. The Pacific Rush is one of my personal favorites!:thumbup1:
 
Wow! Thanks for all of your kind words and encouraging responses! I'll take care to do the best I can for you.

I started evaluating Florida Water a couple of days ago so that will be my next write up tomorrow or Saturday. I do love the scent.

I will be including dollar store brands in my hunt. The only house brand I've seen live so far is the Family Dollar Spice. My local FD didn't have much selection. I'll eventually wander by some different chains in the area. I did get the Barbasol Brisk there as well and if I see any other Barbasol splashes anywhere, I think they won't break the budget.

Vez got me interested in the Lectric Shave with his recent threads. I will actually do a lot of different experimenting with that including hauling out the old weed whacker and seeing if the stuff would make an emergency shave with the electric bearable. Not very likely I know, but hey stranger things have happened.

I'll probably give Afta a try in another month or so when things begin to cool down a little here. It's definitely on my radar.

After I work my way through a number of these, I may begin to experiment with combos and augmentation such as adding glycerin or witch hazel. Maybe my mom still has my old Mr Wizard chemistry set stuff in the basement...

I even wander by thrift stores and antique shops occasionally so If I get lucky and find any Avon or some such I'll throw it in. Only rule is bought in a store and under $10.00 and more or less American.

Oh, and if I were able to buy Aqua Velva at $3.49 for 7 oz, I'd probably start swimming in the stuff.

Thanks again for all the positive feedback!
 
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Also, after a bad shave, the Dollar Tree (if you're near one) has that Chinese stuff in a Skin Bracer shaped bottle. The green one smells pretty decent, but it is a little on the soapy side. No sting what so ever.
 
Murray & Lanman Florida Water

price: $4.00 for 7.5 oz (227ml) at a large regional chain supermarket.

ingredients: Alcohol Denatured, Water, Fragrances, FD&C Blue Color #1, And FD&C Yellow Color #5.

bottle: A clear long necked plastic bottle with a fingertip size opening. I really like this design as it is very easy to securely grip the bottle neck with your thumb over the opening for a well controlled pour. Kudos for the appearance too as there is raised lettering on the bottle and one of the best labels in the business.

scent: Opens with a blast of orange peel followed by a strong cinnamon component. At first I thought it was kind of clovey, but after spending some quality time with my spice rack, I learned to separate the orange and spice component and it was clearly primarily cinnamon. As the scent begins to settle down, a component similar to Juicy Fruit gum makes it's presence known. Later on, I also picked up something akin to tart kiwi or under ripe banana. The scent is fairly strong for the first 10 or 15 minutes before settling down to a mild but noticeable presence. After about an hour I was down to just a slight hint of scent which pretty much disappears completely by about the 2 hour mark.

skin feel: There is alcohol, and lots of it. You will get a pronounced alcohol sting if you've irritated yourself at all. There is a mild cooling from the rapidly evaporating alcohol, but nothing like what you get from menthol. There is no moisturization to speak of and I find it to be slightly drying. It is not particularly soothing. To be fair, it's marketed as a cologne, so I wasn't expecting much there. The best results I had were when I incorporated other elements into my post shave routine such as alum and/or witch hazel and some kind of moisturizer. It also helped when I dialled my Fatboy back down to 3 and went for a milder shave.

thoughts: People might be disappointed in the short duration of the scent here, but I think there is definitely a place for a nice scent that you can enjoy on your way somewhere, but which won't be a problem once you get there. The rapid dissipation of the scent means you can also splash a bit more liberally than some other products. I find the scent itself to be quite pleasing and for me it blended well with Williams and Conk Amber. My biggest disappointment is the lack of healing and moisturizing properties here. I expect that I will eventually augment mine with a little glycerin and/or some witch hazel. I think given the price I'll always want to have a bottle of this around especially since it might be a nice ingredient for blends. I'm thinking there might be a way to make this work with Old Spice for example. I'll give it a qualified recommendation with the caveat that if you are looking for an astringent and a disinfectant with a brief pleasant scent, this is a good product. If you are looking for skin care or an all day fragrance, you'll want to look elsewhere.
 
Sorry for the delay gents, but when it gets time to can my produce from the garden, things get hectic and will not wait. Next review should be up On Thursday Or Friday. Thanks for Reading!
 
What a great thread! Thanks for doing this research. It's fun to read and very well done. Kudos to you sir!

IMHO Aqua Velva (Ice Blue) is just THE absolute classic aftershave. I probably use it more than any other AS - it just can't be beat! Old Spice is a very close second (the Family Dollar version "Spice" which I decant into a vintage 1980's Old Spice bottle and use that each day).
 
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