Don't Understand...

[BCatl]

There are a limited number of chemicals that will mix to make a shelf stable splash, and there is no Santa's workshop where elves cook up magic ingredients.

If you want to pay more, if you like the bottle design and you like how it looks in the bathroom, fine; however, linking this to "benefits" is more likely to be an attempt to rationalize what you paid for it. I mean, if you pay $35 for an AS splash, you're going to be telling yourself it's mighty good.

 

[gearchow]

Well, the Vi-Jon OS clone was at a dollar store that has since been shuttered up. The only good stuff I routinely see at the dollar type stores in my area is Yardley bath soap. They usually have lots of cheap cartridge and disposable razors, cheap canned foams and sometimes some Brut knock off AS.

What is up with that? I bought some Yardley Lavender bath soap (bars) and it's just fine. It's not a knock off is it?

-jim

 

[rolisrgti06]

Well, the Vi-Jon OS clone was at a dollar store that has since been shuttered up. The only good stuff I routinely see at the dollar type stores in my area is Yardley bath soap. They usually have lots of cheap cartridge and disposable razors, cheap canned foams and sometimes some Brut knock off AS.

Other posters report routinely finding Vi-Jon or Phoenix Labs Old Spice clone that is closer to the Shulton scent than the current stuff, Barbasol after shaves and even DE blades.

All regions are not created equal when it comes to dollar stores and beauty supply shops, it seems.

It kills me when I read The Nid Hog posting about how he has to wade through all the different varieties of Pinaud Clubman products at his local retail haunt to see if they have anything different. Here I was thrilled to find a place that had Special Reserve, and nothing else!

I saw that stuff at the Only .99 store earlier this evening. Doesn't even smell like Brut. Has anyone tried milling the Yardley bath soap and shave with it?

 

[gearchow]

I saw that stuff at the Only .99 store earlier this evening. Doesn't even smell like Brut. Has anyone tried milling the Yardley bath soap and shave with it?

Well, don't have to mill it to see if you can face lather with it. I'll give it a try.

a bit later....

Well, it works and if it was all you got. I can make a lather of sorts, but it disappears pretty quickly. The good news is that the soap is pretty slick even after the later has gone, so with a wet razor, everything still works.

-jim

 

[rolisrgti06]

Well, don't have to mill it to see if you can face lather with it. I'll give it a try.

a bit later....

Well, it works and if it was all you got. I can make a lather of sorts, but it disappears pretty quickly. The good news is that the soap is pretty slick even after the later has gone, so with a wet razor, everything still works.

-jim

Thanks. I was wondering based on the ingredients on the package, I guess they are not in the same proportions as a shaving soap has.

 

[Phog Allen]

I tend toward Popeyeguy's point of view on this. And no, it does not mean I buy expensive aftershaves like Penhailigon's though I wouldn't mind it one day just because.

A lot of what drives the aftershave paradox is that frankly, there are not really that many A+ excellent aftershaves out there to begin with. These comments are aimed at splashes. A sage vendor of our favourite products once told me he was quite suspect of almost any aftershave that came from a fragrance family of products. Most were little more than alcohol, water, and fragrance at a lower concentration that edc. Most of them are quite "dry" and will start to evapourate in your palm as you apply them. I shave well enough that real burn is not an issue but the splashes for the most part do nothing for skin repair. There are only a few and they stand out like a beacon. Musgo Classic, Knize Ten, Speick, and really just a handful of others. Surprisingly, I had a great experience with modern English Leater splash. It is eight dollars at Walmart for a big bottle. Go figure.

I think the reason you see items like Aqua Velva, Skin Bracer, Booster, and others getting so much press is that oft times aftershaves that are ten times their price do not perform as well. Let alone five to ten times as well. I cannot use Aqua Velva. It does not agree with me. I use a lot of Taylor's a/s splashes and to be honest, they fall directly into the category mentioned above. They smell great but do squat for skin care. I always dose mine with a solid tablespoon of aloe juice. It helps with conditioning. I find the scents to be quite a lot better than the drugstore stuff. So they work for me even though they are five times the price of Aqua Velva. I know you guys have heard me preach this ad nausea but excellent quality aftershaves are the grail of wet shaving.

Regards, Todd