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!