LG23-28: Frugal Friday
- Brush: Tweezerman
#WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS #RUNT #ANCIENT
- Razor: Parker 89R
- Blade: Astra SP (1)
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Margaritas in the Arctic - Shave Soap
- Post Shave: Thayer's - Cucumber - Facial Toner
- Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. - Island Man
- Passes: WTG, XTG
- Coffee: Ethiopia. Agaro Gera, Oromia. - v: Ethiopia Landraces - p: Washed, dried on raised beds.
- Music: Colter Wall - Little Songs
- LG Tags:
#FOF
It's no secret Stirling's products are a good value, but calculating the numbers really put it in perspective. Pricing it out by ounce/gram, no matter which other currently-purchasable artisan soap on hand I thought might come in cheaper, Stirling's ended up victorious—often because of the 5.8 ounces of soap per $14.25 tub ($0.09/g). If you don't need the fun green labels, you can get even cheaper with a refill puck (though it's the same price per ounce). I would have needed to buy some crummy cream from the big box store to do better; the purchase would have yielded many fewer shaves and the performance would have been drastically worse than any of Stirling's bases.
Stirling has many scents to choose from, but it's been a tough week here at Mosquito HQ, so I went with a fun one that reminds me of summer's best moments. I paired Margaritas in the Arctic (MITA) with a cucumber-scented toner and boozy island floral to create a beach vacation shave. And no, the irony isn't lost on me; vacations are hardly ever frugal.
I lathered up my MITA in a take-out container we saved from a recent Thai food order. That cup of re-used plastic (free with purchase) was better priced than the cheapest dedicated shaving bowl, or even a cereal bowl. It also worked surprisingly well for lathering. I used my oldest, lowest-cost brush in my collection—a terrible Tweezerman—with its minuscule knot, scratchy badger hair of indeterminately awful grade, and laughably cheap handle. This little terror of a brush fit nicely in the take-out container and the scratchiness is less apparent on the face if you lather with a very soft touch. Maybe the strong dose of menthol in MITA numbed the discomfort, or I was distracted by the delightful smell of lemon-lime margarita mix wafting into my nostrils. A stiff margarita solves lots of problems.
I shaved with the first cheap-as-possible DE razor I bought for travel. This Parker cost me $26.67 when I bought it way back, and included a pack of blades to sweeten the deal. This is one of those razors you pack for travel without worrying if it gets confiscated, broken, or lost, though that's (thankfully) never happened to me. I loaded an Astra SP blade. Blade prices are all over the place, but the bulk pack of Astra SP blades I bought years ago remains an absurd deal (100 for $11.40). The shave was really pleasant. This Parker used to bite me whenever I used it, but my lather has come along way, as has my shaving technique. I could reduce my collection down to the cheapest possible equipment and still get terrific shaves, which was always the goal when I first got into this. (Now I'm all about muh smellz.)
I followed up my cost-saving Stirling shave with an equally frugal aftershave and fragrance.
For around $10 for 12 oz. around here, Thayer's witch hazel toners come in at cheaper than even pharmacy plastic-bottle aftershaves, and are a refreshing option to keep around even if you don't shave. I like using mine after my final pass and a rinse to get the soap off my skin; I let that sit for a bit and then hop in the shower when the light cucumber scent has started to fade. For better or worse, this scent has no staying power, though it's wonderful while it lasts. I like how it segues into summery, solar, or aquatic fragrances.
Stirling's Eau de Toilette bottles are an even better value at $26.95 for 50ml. Sure, EdTs don't last or project like some of the more potent formulations out there, but that makes them ideal for a spray in the evening, or on really hot days. They last a lot longer than toners and aftershaves. I bought this bottle of Island Man EdT on clearance, bringing the price down further; it's by far the least costly fragrance I own. I've also read it's an admirable copy of Creed's Virgin Island Water, though I haven't tried the original, so I can't compare them. This boozy, fruity, coconut and musk floral has a carefree tropical vibe, with a heavy focus on the citrus. It smells like a vacation, but with no aquatic sense of place. That's a good thing for me. (Me and Calone don't get along.) I particularly like the spicy ginger note—it keeps the whole mixed-drinks-in-paradise gourmand accord from melting into syrup. Still, I much prefer Island Man as a shave soap, even if it's a wearable fragrance and thematically appropriate end to my shave.
I sure feel like I saved tens of dollars today! I'm wisely investing it in more soaps and aftershaves, which I'll definitely consume and need to buy more of before I die. Who's the clever one now, Mr. Money Mustache?