2024-06-28 - Cheap

• Lather: Arko - Arko
  $.0399/g
• Post Shave: Williams - Aqua Velva Ice Blue
  $0.0608/mL (beating out Brut's $$0.0655/mL)
• Fragrance: Old Spice - Swagger Body Spray
  $o.151/g (previously-established as explicitly a fragrance product)
• Razor: Alshabab Razor
  $0.15 (originally included blade)
• Brush: Qshave
  $9.99

Unifying Theme: Frugal Friday

Frugal Friday: Shit's cheap, yo.

#FOF
Urinal cake puts this as a contender for the foulest-smelling—nah, there's no competing with fish sauce. Follow the urinal cake with the absolutely cheapest-smelling aftershave and then something vaguely woodsy, and I'm smelling exactly as classy as, say, the djudge who accused me of cowardice from behind a shroud of anonymity. I'd be just giddy to learn what they think I "chickened out" on.

June 28, 2024 – Cheap! Cheap! fun! fun!  

• Brush: Omega 40033 24mm #hallow  
• Razor: Gillette Tech  
• Blade: Bic Chrome (1)  
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Lightish Red  
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva – Ice Blue  
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. – Deep Blue Sea  

Today’s title references commercials for a local frugal liquor store. It's all about the money saving. Now I added it up, and no surprise, among all the stuff in my den, Stirling remains the value leader. Honestly, it wasn’t even that close. Next closest was the Daveli Farms soap, but by the time I got it had increased to $9 for a 3.5 oz puck (with no tub!) Stirling is just a hair cheaper (I did a rough calculation and normalizing to Stirling tub, DF would be about $15, just over the Stirling price). Additionally, Daveli also had a mandatory $3/item shipping cost. Now, normally I wouldn’t include shipping in my calculation, but if the cost is mandatory per item (and it doesn’t cost $3, to throw an extra puck in the bag mailer it came in) then it probably needs to be counted since no amount of buying spreads the shipping out. Given that it’s more like $12/3.5 oz which is way over Stirling price. Plus, Daveli no longer sells shave soap as far as I can tell (they no longer have any web store presence. They appear to still sell bath soap on site, so who knows.)

Plus, as I noted at the time in my review, Stirling was just better. So, win/win. Not surprisingly, my den is full of Stirling stuff. Yes, I have more Mammoth, but whenever I order coffee from Stirling (which is quite often) a sample or full tub finds its way into my cart. Which is how I ended up with this tub of Lightish Red. I couldn’t pass a on a ~~Halo~~ generic shooter soap. (Seriously love the helmet on the label.) For these reasons and more I will always stan u/stirlingsoap to everyone who stumbles into the DQ thread asking where to get started. Rod excels at what he set out to do: make a good product at a fair price. I could shave with Stirling for the rest of my life and my wallet would be better off for it. (Speaking of which, I have a Stirling Wallet! They’re awesome, get one! Thanks, sub Secret Santa!)

Everything used here is cheap. For #fof, I paired up a bunch of cheap, color themed things, Lightish Red, Aqua Velva Ice Blue ($5/bottle) and Stirling Deep Blue Sea ($27 for a full botte). I’m certain this is the cheapest stuff in my den, but none of it is bad. The progression from woody, to minty, to aquatic also worked pretty well!

Because I have to use the cheapest stuff, but the rules specifically state “no cartridges” I pulled out my tech. It was $0.49 new according to the internet, which adjusted for inflation is about $5. I originally thought I was going to need to use that shitty $7 Walmart Badger again, but no! As it turns out my Omega Boar, purchased from London Razors, was only $6, making it the cheapest brush I have. Saved by a cheap, but not bad boar. Lastly blades. Had to do some digging, because I have a lot of random blades, but at about $0.19-$0.20/blade the Bic blades sent to me by u/bmac92 are my cheapest on hand. To put all this in perspective, If I used 3 Stirling tubs a year (my estimated usage), 2 bottles of Aqua Velva (WAG, I have yet to finish 1), 50 blades, cheap brush, Tech, it’s just under $65 for the first year of shaving. Brush and Tech carry over, so closer to $55 in year 2+. That’d buy me 32 Harry’s Cartridges, with no soap or splash. Not even a year’s worth. All the inexpensive gear can be seen, per the challenge, in the SOTD pic. (I didn’t include EdT in this calculation because it’s not really necessary to shaving. But you could throw in a Stirling EdT, a steal at $27, and that is probably less than your yearly canned goo cost. Or take the money you saved and buy fancy cologne).

Now a frugal shave would not be a shave in my fancy renovated bathroom. No this, bathroom with its semi-custom sinks and cabinets is not frugal, it’s what a coastal elite would do. Where to go then? My kitchen isn’t high end, but not really frugal either. No, there’s only one frugal shave spot in this house. It’s not outside, I have a fancy patio there. Nope, it’s down at the basement utility sink. The cheapest utility sink I could find at Home Depot. No mirrors, they cost money. Yes, sink is dirty. It’s a utility sink.

Finally, #photocontest, I’ve got a toy boat for water vehicles. How does it tie in? Well, if I had more frugality, maybe I’d be able to afford a real one. I’m limited on expensive hobbies, so for now, the toy is all I get.

Edited for note: Savvy players may rememeber I used Arko last year. that was a smush, it is long gone. This year I did not trade for "cheap smush" to force my calendar. I did what the den said.

June 28, 2024 – 2024.06.28 SOTD: Lather Games Day 29 – Frugal Friday

• Brush: Diane D985 Shaving Brush
• Razor: Assured for Men Double Edge Safety Razor
• Blade: Assured for Men Double-Edge
• Lather: Arko – Shave Stick
• Post Shave: Xtra Care – Original Scent
• Fragrance: Yardley – Summer Breeze

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Daily Theme: Frugal Friday

Theme justification: I'm not sure what the MSRP of Arko is, but at Maggard it sells for $2.99/75g. That works out to $0.04/g. This is by far the cheapest wetshaving soap I have in my den.

Relevant Post Shave & Frag: CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP!. To continue Frugal Friday, my aftershave and frag were purchased at Dollar Tree and are the cheapest AS and frag I own. The Xtra Care Original Scent Aftershave and Yardley Summer Breeze Body Mist (note that the bottle calls it a perfume. See the bold words in the instructions).

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Scavenger Hunt ~~Justification~~: COMPLETED

Razor facts: N/A

Brush facts: N/A

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Daily/Special Challenge: Frugal Friday

Everything in today's shave is the cheapest I have in my den. Will it make for a good shave? Let's find out!

Items: Razor & Blades: Assured for Men from the Dollar Tree.. I couldn't find a retail price for my Gem Jr. 1912, which I believe is the razor that I have that retailed for the least amount of money when new. However, I did find this ad for a MMOC with a coupon for $0.25 from 1935. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $5.73. This razor beats out everything.

Since the blades are included with the razor as a bundle, I feel like I'm being generous when I value them at $0.25/tuck - $0.05/blade. On Razor Blade Club, there are no blades that hit that price point (regardless of quantity). So that makes them easily the cheapest blades I own.

Soap: I already discussed this above, but Arko is the cheapest soap I have on a price/gram basis.

Aftershave: Xtra Care Original Scent was purchased at Dollar Tree (link above). 4 oz for $1.25 comes to $0.3125/oz of AS. This Gillette Aftershave Gel is the closest I have to it, but it comes out to $1.03/oz.

Fragrance: Yardley Summer Breeze (same pic as the razor). A perfume that is $1.25/2oz, or $0.625/oz. I mean, nothing comes close in terms of standard frags. The Brut cologne I purchased for canned goop day is close, but it still comes in above at $0.783/oz.

Brush: Diane D985 Shaving Brush I originally purchased this for #FauxFur, as the description list "faux badger hair" twice, but I ended up buying a Pure Bliss knot. Still comes in handy, though, because at $4.39 it is by far the cheapest brush I own. CamelCamelCamel has the average even lower, at $3.01, so I got played! Just like "badger" brush I used earlier in the games from Amazon (that clearly stated it was badger), I do not believe this is synthetic. Feels like a terrible boar brush.

Bowl: I cannot use my CaYuen bowl today, sadly. So I grabbed the cheapest bowl I own. This Ikea bowl fits the bill. These things come in a 6 pack for $1.99. That comes out to $0.33/bowl. A lot cheaper than my CaYuen.

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Fragrance description

Arko - I've heard Arko described to me before as the smell of a urinal cake. I don't think that is quite right, but it's close. It's a pleasant citrus smell that does remind me of some sort of cleaner. I don't mind it.

Xtra Care Original Scent - I really cannot place this one, but it's not good. It's quite powdery, which is not a favorite note of mine, with some other note that I can't identify. Regardless, it's not great.

Yardley Summer Breeze - This stuff smells like sweet potpourri. Sickeningly sweet. It's not great, especially mixed with powder note of the aftershave. Just not good at all.

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Now onto the shave!

Thanks to /u/jwoods23 for the Arko smush. This is my first experience with Arko. I can see why it's popular. Decent stuff at a very cheap price. Produced an okay lather that could've been a lot better with a different brush. Just look how much it's shedding in just that pic!

The razor left a lot to be desired. Can't expect much for $1.25, though (especially when it comes with blades). The blades came completely unmarked. Thankfully they weren't too bad.

The shave itself went fine. Lather could've been better. I hated that brush so much. It shed constantly to where the razor looked like it was growing its own beard. It also felt exactly like the "badger" brush I used earlier in the games with my Doritos lather. Let that be a lesson to everyone: don't buy extremely cheap brushes from Amazon that look like crap, because they are crap.

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Totals:

• Razor Hashtags: 10/10
• Brush Hashtags: 10/10
• Hardware Sponsor Points: 2/2
• Software Sponsor Points: 16/16
• Number of Lather Brands: 28/30
• Number of Lather Scents: 28/30
• Number of Post Shaves: 28/30
• Number of Frags: 28/30

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Contest Hashtags:

#FOF

#ROTY

June 28, 2024 - Feats of Frugality

• Brush: Colonel Conk - Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Bic Metal
• Lather: Colonel Conk - Lime
• Post Shave: Thayers Facial Toner - Cucumber
• Fragrance: Racing Club - Blue #FOF

Cheap Shave theme and challenge:

Prices were at the time of purchase that I recall. I did not ounces because even though US was supposed to go metric when I was a kid, stubborn people canned it in the 80s.

Colonel Conk - $1.60 per oz.

Thayers - $0.84 per oz.

Racing club - $1.19 per oz.

Bic Metal - $1.00

Colonel Conk Brushy (aka Shaggy) approx. $6. It was part of a set with brush, mug, and soap.

I almost wrecked it using Williams earlier this month, but I got it on Ebay after I couldn’t find it in stores anymore and paid $12 for 2 pucks + shipping. Colonel Conk was in a 4 pack for $15 or $16 dollars with free shipping.

I am surprised I kept up wetshaving with how bad the brush I used when I was starting out. It is both really floppy and scratchy. Not a nice scrub, it is very unpleasant. I couldn’t find the other really cheap brush I called Pokie. It had broken off most of the tips losing about 5mm of loft. Shaggy on other hand is still losing about 10 or so hairs per shave and gets floppier each time I use it.

I chose the Bic Metal that I recently purchased to not travel with a DE in my carry on bag. Also, when I started out it was the soap, mug, and brush I went to first. DE razors came along about a month later for me. If I bought the BICs in bulk, would be even cheaper per razor and be really competitive vs. many DE razors in price per shave over a couple years.

Feats of Fragrance:

Not much good to be said here. I had 4 soaps to choose from the 4 pack of Conk I bought. I decided since Racing Club - Blue is sort of a very cheap dupe of Polo Blue, Lime would be the best fit. The vaguely citrus scent of the puck translated to almost nothing lathered. The Thayers Cucumber at least was pleasant and very recognizable as cucumber. It was the best of the bunch, and Thayers may be the best bargain in post shave products. It has been less than an hour since I applied Blue, and the scent is already getting very faint. This is after the really cheap sprayer pissed a stream of cheap cologne? all over my arm instead of a spritz of the scent. What is weaker than cologne? I know in the scent realm highest to lowest % of fragrance content goes parfum, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, and eau de cologne. I guess this is eau de bath water. Sadly, when I bought it last year at 5 Below, it was probably the best of the scents they had there.

I might need to give myself a luxury pre-travel shave before I head to the airport tonight. Or maybe a bit of a nicer EdT would be a good choice.

June 28, 2024

• Brush: Assured for Men – 18MM Terrible Dollar Store Brush #RUNT
• Razor: Assured for Men – Terrible Dollar Store Razor
• Blade: Shark – Super Stainless
• Lather: Free Soap Collective - L'Air du Panache Soap
• Post Shave: XtraCare – Fresh Scent After Shave Splash
• Fragrance: Bod Man – Really Ripped Abs Eau de Whatever

Let’s go down the list bit by bit today:

Soap: $0.00 - Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. And my friends, today, I feel like the luckiest man on the sub. A couple months ago, I won a PIF from u/jwood23 and it included two soaps from The Free Soap Collective (FSC). Basically, this dude named Max created a very successful video game franchise, and (I’m assuming) did pretty well for himself, so now he makes shave soaps to give away as a hobby on the side. This all happens in a Facebook group called The Shave Market, which I requested to join when I found out about this, but they (sadly) did not approve my request to join. No clue why, but I’m clearly not what they’re looking for in a member. If anyone has an in, please put in a good word for me. ANYWAYS… He never charges for the soap and built this whole “company” called “Free Soap Collective”. Bingo, bango, bongo, the MSRP is $0.00. Saving money babeeeey! I made sure I checked with the Lather Games Rules Liaison prior to using this today because I don’t want to get DQed on a Day 28 technicality, and we’re good to use this today! And FSC makes good stuff – even Ben thinks so! L'Air du Panache is supposed to smell like the Grand Budapest Hotel, but I get spices on top of a base of vetiver and sandalwood. I think. I don't know. They won't let me in their group to ask them. The scent isn't really something I'd typically buy, but it nicely done and enjoyable to use. I wish I could say it evokes the memory of the time I went to Budapest, the only time I was in Budapest, I was staying in a hostel with a naked guy sleeping on the bunk below mine. Not exactly Grand.

I’m still using the ~~worst~~ least expensive of everything else I own. Last year on Frugal Friday, everything I used was from Dollar Tree/Dollar General.

Brush: $1.25 - Okay. I’m not gonna try to bullshit anyone this year. The brush sucks. It costs $1.25 and is awful. In preparation for today I tried all the tricks to break a brush in: Scruffing it on a towel, soaking it in salt water overnight, scrubbing it on a brick wall, and leaving lather in it for days on end. Hell, I even oiled it up, tied a string around it and put in under my mattress for a few days. I’ve tried it all. And you know what? It still sucks. There are just some things you shouldn’t buy at Dollar Tree and shaving brushes is one of them (another is nacho cheese sauce). I think this thing could also double as a scouring brush.

Razor: $1.25 Also not good. With a decentish blade in there it’s not TOO bad, but it’s no Wolfie, that’s for sure.

Blade: $.07 I had to do a lot of math for this one to calculate the price per blade for every brand I have. The cheapest is this Shark Super Stainless one. Meh. I tend not to be too picky when it comes to blades. Sure, I have my favorites, but I can get a good shave from pretty much anything.

Post-Shave: $1.25 I remember the splash being a pleasant surprise last year and this year, it’s the same. The scent is generic, but inoffensive. The nice thing about aftershave splashes is that they can be ridiculously simple and still be nice… And XtraCare proves that!

Fragrance: $4.50 for 100ml Bod Man: America’s #1 Men’s Fine Fragrance Brand. I got this 100 ml bottle from Dollar General, but if you buy one of their “full size” bottles the trigger and atomizer are literally the same as a bottle of Windex. Really Ripped Abs, smells like a gym locker room mixed with a can of cheap energy drink, and it is perfect for those who want to make an unforgettable impression—just not necessarily a good one. BodMan ensures you won't break the bank while breaking nearby nostrils with its overpowering aroma. It's almost as if someone thought, "What if we bottled the essence of overly confident teenagers at a discount price?" If you're looking for a cologne that screams "I bought this with my allowance," look no further than Bod Man Really Ripped Abs. #FOF

Challenge: Today’s shave proves you don’t need to invest a lot into wetshaving to get a ~~nice~~ shaving experience. I love saving money, so I feel ecstatic that I saved so many American Freedom Dollars on this shave. On a per shave basis, this shave cost pennies.

Soap Theme Justification: The soap is from an entity called Free Soap Collective. The MSRP is $0.00. Is that enough for you??

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: Everything is the cheapest thing in my den AND everything comes in a blue container!

June 28

• Brush: Yaqi – 22mm Badger
• Razor: Gillette Travel Tech
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co – Hot Apple Cider Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co – Hot Apple Cider Splash
• Fragrance: Southern Witchcrafts – Samhain EdP

When I started wetshaving, I told myself there was an initial investment, but I would end up saving money in the long run. That’s what the internet told me. Hell, I even have a friend tell me the same thing. And I feel deceived. But it’s so worth it. Can you put a price on joy? I think not!

Fortunately, I don’t have anything terrible in my shaving gear line-up.

For my hardware: I got this brush as a defect direct from Yaqi on Alibaba and is cost $7, shipping included. It’s not great, but I wouldn’t call it AWFUL. This Gillette Travel Tech came in a vintage razor lot from Ebay, but I think original MSRP was like $.49 – Hell, even today, you can pick one up on ebay for like $10-15 bucks. I think I paid like $40 for a lot of 7 or 8 razors. I have a couple different blade brands, but the least expensive one I have is Gillette Silver Blue, which is about $15 for 100.

For my software: Stirling is by far the cheapest per ounce of any artisan soap out there. You get a whopping 5.8 ounces for $14.25 and the splash is $13.65. The fact you can buy a set for less than $30 AND the soap is massive is such a frugal win!

For fragrance today, I used Southern Witchcrafts Samhain. This has got to be the unsung hero of the wetshaving fragrance world. A bottle is $22!

Stirling’s Hot Apple Cider soap felt like taking a journey through an apple orchard in the fall. The soap filled my bathroom with the intoxicating scent of spiced apples and cinnamon. It was like autumn in a shave, making me ALMOST want to pull a Prius and eat the stuff. The splash matches the soap so I kept the fall festival going. A refreshing and invigorating splash, it soothed my skin and left me smelling like I just stepped out of a cider mill. And finally, Samhain EdP. This fragrance is the epitome of fall – earthy, smoky, and a subtle sweetness. With notes of autumn leaves, pumkin, and bourbon, it’s like a walk through a haunted forest on Halloween night. The perfect complement to the warm, cozy apple scent from Stirling. #FOF

Sidecontest: #photocontest: Birds. Two swans in the water, a flock of ducks flying by, and a bonus dragonfly flew into the shot too. Since they’re in the background, they aren’t in focus, but they’re there!

Challenge: This is the cheapest of everything I have in my den. It felt wonderful knowing how this hobby is saving me money!

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “Frugal Friday”… My Top 5 Tips to be Frugal in Wetshaving

5.) Buy in bulk. Buying 100 blades at a time is gonna be cheaper than 5 at a time.

4.) Don’t be tempted by FOMO and avoid impulse purchases. If it’s good, it will come back. Unless it’s Ausflug.

3.) Borrow, instead of buy – See something you want to try? Ask someone who has one to borrow it, or join a passaround.

2.) Shop secondhand – r/Shave_Bazaar anyone?

1.) Unsubscribe to r/wetshaving – You’ll just want to buy what other people have. Remember: Comparison is the thief of joy. Be happy with what you have.

June 28, 2024 – LG Day 28 – $rugal $riday

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic Li’l Brudder
• Razor: BIC Sensitive Shaver
• Lather: Van der Hagen – Deluxe Shave Soap
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva – Musk
• Fragrance: Brut – Classic Splash On

First off, let me be perfectly clear. Bic Sensitive Shavers are not cartridge razors. They are single-edge disposables. Per Gillette, which we would assume knows what they’re talking about, “A cartridge razor is a razor where the head or cartridge can be detached from the handle so it can be discarded when it becomes worn; the razor handle can then be used with a new cartridge.” Hence, by definition, the Bic is canonically on theme.

Now, onto the “math.” Cheapest everything. Frugality can be defined a few ways, but Brittanica provides a definition that I think best fits how I grew up understanding the term.

frugal: “careful about spending money or using things when you do not need to.”

I was raised on calculating unit prices. My dad taught me to look at the lefthand, orange-highlighted number on price stickers, which was just as important, if not more, than the price itself. Bigger packages usually mean a less expensive per-unit (e.g. ounce, pound, item) price; however, this is not relevant if you will not be using the product enough to make buying the large package worth it. If you only have mayonnaisse once per month, don’t buy the half gallon jar of mayo. It will expire, nullifying your attempt at frugality. It’s worth noting that this is my current-day interpretation of what my dad emphasized so strongly; he had a much looser interpretation of expiration dates than me, and I’m pretty lax about them (much to my partner’s dismay).

• My Stirling Lil’ Brudder cost me nothing, as it was passed onto me by my father in law, but even that notwithstanding, it’s my cheapest brush. Coming in at $11.99, it’s a solid dollar and a quarter less than the runners-up.
• Bic disposables, particularly if you can get them on sale, are worth keeping around in my opinion. They live in my car, because if I get to work and notice that I missed a spot on the back of my head, I feel compelled to fix the issue or else be stuck thinking about it all day. At current MSRP, they’re $4.49 for a 12-pack, so about 37¢ a shaver; I almost certainly paid less.
• I picked up VdH Deluxe on a whim – because it was around two dollars and I thought, why not, Frugal Friday was going to come around. I never took it out of the plastic to smell it, though, and that was a mistake. If I had, I would have tossed it so I could use Proraso (which at $10 for 5.2oz is $1.92/ounce). It smells of old ladies, and in a way that makes me almost think Tabac is good. At the $2.19 I paid, it’s a whopping 88¢/ounce. At MSRP of $3.49, though, it’s still only $1.40/ounce, easily the cheapest soap in my den.
• I bought AV Musk after seeking somebody (probably u/USS-Spongebob) recommend it as a favorite despite being so cheap. I’m not sure how I feel about it yet, but at $3.17 for the bottle (and 91¢ an ounce), I’m sure I’ll hold onto it and give it another go when I’m craving the musk.
• Here is where I contradict myself. If frugality is all about avoiding unnecessary spending, then this fragrance was not in the spirit of the challenge. However, I simply don’t have cheap fragrances. The cheapest I owned was a Stirling EdT, which doesn’t feel super frugal at ~$27 a bottle (though I recognize this is very cheap compared to much of what I own, and absurdly cheap compared to some of the big designer frags). So I went on a mission to grab the cheapest mass-market yet popular fragrance that isn’t a body mist or body spray. Brut saves the day. At its current Walmart price of $5.48, it’s a meager 78¢ per ounce. Unheard of for a fragrance. Creed Aventus (for a standard 50ml bottle) is $214.70/ounce.

Notably, I didn’t actually start wetshaving to save money – it was all about finding a way to stop the razor bumps & burn that plagued me after shaving with the allegedly foolproof HeadBlade, or any other cart. Even then, I started with Proraso and a cheap, shitty Amazon brush and razor set that was likely tossed at some point. It did the job at the time, though, and I was happy enough with how Proraso smelled.

I now realize that frugality has its limits, though. This shave is powdery. Decidedly not my favorite scent profile. The soap was the worst part. Lots of rose and powder, full-on old lady perfume, nothing that I’m looking for in a wetshaving soap. It lathered and shaved surprisingly well for its laundry list of ingredients and concerningly low price, but this smell just ain’t it. AV Musk is, as one might expect, smells primarily of clean laundry with strong powdery notes, and a light floral touch. It’s not my typical cup of tea, but I can see that it’s a good representation of the genre. To finish out the day, Brut, which I’ve seen described as woodsy and a fougère, just reads as powdery to me. Maybe it’s because of the other scents on my skin, but it’s all I’m getting. The scent of alcohol is so strong off the bottle that I can’t smell it more to try to identify other notes, and my wrists/neck are, again, just powdery at this point. To answer the ultimate #FOF question, “How do your scent choices make you feel?”, the response is simple: powdery.

June 28, 2024 – LG 28: Frugal Friday

• Brush: Maggard Purple Swirl Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Tech (user grade)
• Blade: Voskhod (11)
• Lather: Arko – Arko Shave Stick
• Post Shave: Suave – Vitamin Revitalizing Lotion
• Fragrance: Beverly Hill Polo Club – Blaze

Of course to me today’s challenge we went cheap all the things. Cheapest brush was my maggard synthetic (barely beating a couple boars). I have a cheap Amazon badger, but that’s was mostly cheap in quality but quite pricey in terms of the kit it came in. Ladas per maggard were cheapest blades. Went with a user grade tech. Software, arko stick, some suave lotion, and Beverley hills polo club body spray curtesy of a former student. Long story short, I brought in some shave gear/soap with some students as part of a little show and tell thing and talked about liking fragrances. Thoughtful gift despite missing the mark. Here’s the breakdown below.

Brush: 11.95 (now $13.95 FWIW)
Razor: originally ~.49. Inflation ~6.50. Purchased for like 4-6
Blade: Ladas, .75, or .15 each
Soap: arko stick, $3, or .04 per gram
AS: suave, $4.69 (nice), .00495 per mL
Frag: $10, or .11 per mL

So, all gear was about $32, but roughly $17.25 per shave assuming 2g soap and 2mL lotion and frag. I’d argue the linking factor today is them being cheap and smelling cheap. It’s a disgrace that I was in Penhaligons, PDM, and Guerlain yesterday and wear this crap today. The things we do for LG…

For #FOF arko is like a citronella mosquito repellent candle mixed with urinal cake. Mine is special edition and unintentionally also soaked in lilac vegetal. Suave smells like generic lotion. The atomizer did not get any of it out that I transferred from the big bottle at home, but am also now realizing I few items in there but not in this pic were left out of my den tour. The Beverley Hills Polo Club Blaze, according to wiki scents “Its Top notes are Cedar, Cardamom, Black Leather, Patchouli, Red Sage, Saffron, Lavender, Vervain, Red Grapefruit, Cranberry, Italian Lemon. Mid notes are Black Leather, Patchouli, Red Sage, Saffron, Lavender, Red Grapefruit, Cranberry, Italian Lemon, Cedar, Cardamom, Vervain and Base notes are Patchouli, Red Sage, Saffron, Black Leather, Red Grapefruit, Cranberry, Italian Lemon, Lavender, Vervain, Cedar, Cardamom.” I’d argue worse than axe sprays. I also like how top, mid, and base are all the same but just in different order. This specimen is the “body spray” and not EDT, though I think the quicker it goes away the better.

For #PHOTOCONTEST we went with black and white. What better way to make a cheap shave classy?

LG 27 - Frugal Friday

• Brush: Hands
• Razor: Stick-o-Blade
• Blade: Non replaceable Personna (2)
• Lather: Palmolive Classic Shaving Cream
• Post Shave: Brut - Original
• Fragrance: Parera - Colonia Varon Dandy

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Shave bill:

• Hands ............. 0
• Stick-o-Blade ..... 0 (McDonald's loaned)
• Personna .......... 0.4
• Palmolive Classic . 1.35 (full)
• Brut Original...... 3.54
• Varon Dandy........ 6.75 (1 Liter)

Around 1€ Shave

No four-legged animal suffered any harm or torture during the recording of this video.

There was a lot of tension in the shaving, recording with one hand and shaving with the other, I was on the verge of giving up a couple of times, letting go of the phone and finishing the shave with two hands but I continued until the end. I survived the experience (turn sound on).

I didn't record it completely because at the beginning of the second pass, I forgot to put the phone in video recording and I took a photo instead.You miss the part where I scream and whimper.

.#FOF I took off my shirt and flooded my body with Varon Dandy's manliness.

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Jun. 28, 2024

• Brush: Viking Revolution Badger #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS #SMOLL

• Razor: Viking Revolution

• Blade: Astra Green [1]

• Lather: Ach Brito - Musgo

• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue

• Fragrance: Lattafa - Eternal Oud

Frugal Friday.

I hate this day. I did not think I was going to, but I do. There was only 2 good things about today’s shave. 1: Musgo I like it a lot. First time using it but I’m a fan 2: that it’s over

Holy shit that was terrible. The brush and razor are the first ones I owned. I bled more today than I did the first time I used a Weck. Hell I used a straight the other day for the first time blood free. The brush…. Fuck me running it felt like I was lathering my face with a cactus, hence today’s photo contest theme. That brush was so scratchy that I’m going to use it for mosquito bites. When it was all said and done I splashed the Aqua Velva on my face that shit burned bad enough to make we wince. I hate this challenge

Todays daily challenge

Musgo $.09 a gram Brush $9.88

Razor $17.88

Blade Astra $.08

Aqua Velva $1.56 oz

Eternal Oud $10.29 oz

Photo Contest. Cactus because of that damn brush.

#ROTY #FOF #photocontest

June 28, 2024 Frugral Friday

• Brush: Omega 10049 #HOLLOW #OLDWORLD #TOLL
• Razor: Schick Injector N1
• Blade: Schick Injector (16)
• Lather: William's - Mug Soap
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue
• Fragrance: Eau Studio - Defiance

Challenge: Let’s see how much money wetshaving has saved me!

• The Schick Injector N1 was $2 in 1980. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $7.62 in 2024 dollars.
• I only have Schick blades for the injector. So, these are the cheapest at ~$1.22 per blade.
• The Omega 10049 sells for $10.
• Williams Mug Soap sold for $1.25 for 50 g (1.75 oz), which works out to 2.5 cents per grams. My next cheapest was Arko shave stick at 4 cents per gram.
• Aqua Velva Ice Blue sells for $4.98 at Walmart for 7 oz, making it ~71 cents per ounce.
• Eau Studio is a Lidl store brand of fragrances. I paid $5 for this bottle, which is ~$1.97 per fl.oz.
• Grand total = $30.07

This is my same setup from last year. I haven’t bought anything cheaper. We're getting to the point in the Lather Games where I'm forgetting what hardware I've used for tags. I don't know why I'm freaking out. I think I maxed out on hardware points more than a week ago.

I don't think I'll ever be able to shave with, or look at, Williams Mug Soap without thinking of u/CosmoBarber’s epic GaryTha prank. It boggles my mind that this soap is still being flipped for as much as $20 a puck. Or, that anyone who likes wetshaving enough to participate in an online shaving community would freak out about it being discontinued. It’s not easy to lather. I had to work the soap for 2-3 minutes, adding water, until it finally lathered up. It was okay. I shaved. I didn’t cut myself. I can maybe smell a little bit of lavender. But, it’s basically unscented. This stuff is as "no frills” as it gets (got?). It was a frugal man’s soap. Sure, it was so cheap the only other option at the price point was canned goop. But, you know what? I shaved with Barbasol this month. It was easier to lather, more convenient, and provided similar performance. If you enjoy wetshaving enough to be reading this, buy better soap.

Aqua Velva contains astringent and fragrance, and nothing else; not even witch hazel. Oh, wait. There’s menthol. Why do all commercial shave products contain menthol? Is it cheaper to give the impression of relief with the cooling effect of menthol than using skin food ingredients? I mentioned it last year: there’s an Aqua Velva ad on the Williams Mug Soap box. Williams makes Aqua Velva, so it makes sense. The fragrance is a mishmash of leather, lavender, lemon, mint, and oakmoss. There’s no depth. It’s everything all at once and it doesn’t develop over time. It's a classic drug store fragrance, and a bare bones aftershave.

I had to check my previous posts to make sure I hadn’t already used Defiance. This is another Eau Studio frag from Lidl. I don’t know which fragrance this is meant to smell like. The top notes are aromatic, green like crushed leaves, and iris or jasmine. The base notes coming through at the moment are musky, woody, and amber. It’s lightly powdery and I smell a tinge of citrus. It’s sophisticated, and It got a compliment today.

#photocontest - money

#FOF

June 28, 2024

• Brush: Omega Penelli White HI-BRUSH Synthetic
• Razor: Schick Injector
• Blade: Schick Injector
• Lather: Cella – Milano Crema Da Barba
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts – Samhain

Cella is the cheapest wetshaving soap/product I got with price of $1.01usd/oz. aftershaves I am blessed to have some good ones from HoM, B&M, etc and the cheapest is actually this Samhain from SW. this Schick I bought for 5 dollars and I only have one blade type for it. I may have felt good saving money today…but not anywhere close overall. For cella, it is an almond scent. Not an almond nut but a slightly sweet dessert almond. Specifically, I would say frangipan. Others may say marzipan but that is too sweet. Cella is a subtle sweet. A singular note, but pleasant. It reminds me of an apple galette that I like to make based on Alice Water’s. A butter pie or galette crust, peeled apples interior, and drizzled with apple skin/core glaze. Delicious as is but what makes the whole thing is frangipan smeared on the bottom on the crust. It’s two fold. 1) it tastes really good and natural almond flavor compliments apples while adding complexity to the galette and 2) it absorbs juices (contains flour) while providing a barrier (contains butter) for the crust from the juices. It’s becomes perfectly browned and crusty, with a butter crust when made right is flaky, and the frangipan + apple + glaze adds so much more than the regular apple pie does alone. As before – let me know if you would like a recipe.

I used the theme “time” by making a sundial with my razor today. It’s arguably the most accurate device ever created, and it’s frugally the best way to tell time #photocontest

fof