July 5, 2023 - Canned Shave Goop
- Brush: Assured for Men Shaving Brush - 16mm #RUNT #HOLLOW
- Razor: Assured for Men Three-Piece Razor
- Blade: Assured for Men Unmarked Chinese Blade (1)
- Lather: Power Stick - Original - Shave Gel
- Post Shave: Power Stick - Original - Balm
- Fragrance: Power Stick - Cool Blast - Body Spray
Daily Write-Up
For today’s shave - I made my way to my local strip mall for some shaving gear.
The store closest geographically to my house is the Aldi’s on the right in this picture. Sadly, Aldi’s did not carry any shave gear. So I left and moved to the next store.
The next store, Seoul Market, had a health and beauty section. But I don’t speak Korean, and have literally no idea what the things in this store are. Moving on.
Autozone - good selection of items that could be used as pre-shave oils, and I could probably hook myself up with a floor scraper here, but that’s not really my style. So, I put the Valvoline back, and headed next door.
I skipped Heavenly Massage, and went to the same store I went to last year - Dollar Tree.
This actually is a different Dollar Tree, and was very well organized. I quickly picked up a Trickhole of Power Stick items - hopefully this stuff is better than the Bolero I bought here last year. I was worried about a brushless gel, but as I went around the corner to check out, I saw this rack!. I wasn't sure what size these were, but they’re definitely smaller than the 20mm Omega I have… After the shave I measured 5/8", which makes it a 16mm. Definitely #RUNT territory.
The Shave
* Not at all good.
* The brush broke the minute I tried to use it. Bonus though, I can see the handle is hollow, and could measure the knot. So, I held the knot at the bump to keep it in the handle while frothing up the soap.
* The razor held up for at least one shave though. The positive blade exposure on this is wild. Definitely the most aggressive razor I’ve ever used. Also, because of the thin metal, there is a ton of audio feedback with this razor.
* Blade - it seemed sharp. I’ll have to try one in a different razor.
* The performance of this gel is not good. Little slickness, no protection. Lots of unfortunate smell.
Soap Theme Justification
* Purchased at Dollar Tree, the geographically closest available shaving items to my home.
Post-Shave and Fragrance Relevance Notes
* Power Stick Trickhole!
* Theme of the day is road-side motel. But not the good kind where people are enjoying their holiday. The kind where a single parent is one night's bad tips away from sleeping in the car.
* The soap has base notes of a Motel 6 hotel bathroom, with top notes of “pool closed due to contamination”
* The aftershave compliments the soap nicely. It has a minty quality, somewhat reminiscent of a starlight mint you might find that a recent john left behind the bedside table. It’s very thick, the thickest balm I’ve ever used. Roughly the consistency of the cheap margarine you buy in a tub.
* The fragrance - a product page describes it thusly: “The energizing scent for all-day swagger. For men who want their days cool and their nights hot!” Instead, it feels like “Compare to Axe” - body spray for when you want to cover up the stale nicotine and bug bombs of the Red Roof.
Daily Challenge
If I were a perfumer - I would not have designed any of these items.
Instead...
Shortly after you cross the Piscataqua River Bridge to enter Maine from New Hampshire, there is a visitor center and rest stop - maybe 2 miles over the border. My family has often stopped here, because it's clean and conveniently located.
When you step out of the car - the smell hits you. You've only come a few miles over the border, but Maine smells distinctly different than the country south of here. There's a crispness to the air; a saltiness lent from nearby Casco Bay. This crispness is on top of the damp earth and strong coniferous scents of the surrounding forestry.
Every time we make that trip I'm always taken by how much different it smells - but the smell of Maine is my favorite smell in the world. If a soap maker could get that scent right, I'd probably throw all my stuff on the Bazaar and only use that from now on.
EDIT: Want to try these items for yourself? Enter my PIF!