SOTD by u/bmac92

u/bmac92 posted on 2024-06-28 06:00:14-07:00 (Pacific Standard Time). Reddit Comment (See markdown)

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

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).


Scavenger Hunt ~~Justification~~: COMPLETED

Razor facts: N/A

Brush facts: N/A


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.


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.


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.


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

Contest Hashtags:

#FOF

#ROTY

Detected Items:

This SOTD is part of the challenge
  1. Lather Games 2024
  2. Feats of Fragrance 2024
  3. Rookie of the Year 2024
**[June 28, 2024 – 2024.06.28 SOTD: Lather Games Day 29 – Frugal Friday](https://i.imgur.com/vgjeuOQ.jpg)**

* **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

**************

**Daily Theme**: Frugal Friday


**Theme justification**: I'm not sure what the MSRP of Arko is, but at [Maggard](https://maggardrazors.com/products/arko-stick-1) 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!](https://youtu.be/r1jbS6VJYEU?&t=8). 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](https://www.dollartree.com/product/333384) and Yardley Summer Breeze Body Mist (note that the [bottle calls it a perfume](https://i.imgur.com/TYgP0jc.jpg). See the bold words in the instructions).


************

**Scavenger Hunt ~~Justification~~**: **COMPLETED**

Razor facts: N/A

Brush facts: N/A

************

**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.](https://i.imgur.com/ZCDGKlZ.jpg). 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](https://i.etsystatic.com/20524517/r/il/76d15e/5158626014/il_1140xN.5158626014_rkib.jpg). Adjusted for inflation, that would be [$5.73](https://i.imgur.com/1Wnbz6d.png). 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](https://www.razorbladesclub.com/razorblades/), 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](https://i.imgur.com/tCUKgiL.jpg) was purchased at Dollar Tree (link above). 4 oz for $1.25 comes to $0.3125/oz of AS. This [Gillette Aftershave Gel](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gillette-Aftershave-Gel-for-Men-Sensitive-Skin-Light-Fragrance-2-5-oz/11027635) is the closest I have to it, but it comes out to $1.03/oz.

Fragrance: [Yardley Summer Breeze](https://i.imgur.com/ZCDGKlZ.jpg) (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](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Brut-Classic-Splash-On-Wood-Citrus-Scent-Cologne-for-Men-7-fl-oz/10317647) cologne I purchased for canned goop day is close, but it still comes in above at $0.783/oz.

Brush: [Diane D985 Shaving Brush](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007FJ0NDI) 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](https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B007FJ0NDI) 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](https://i.imgur.com/JaoRfxe.jpg) fits the bill. These things come in a [6 pack for $1.99](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/kalas-bowl-mixed-colors-20461378/). That comes out to $0.33/bowl. A lot cheaper than my CaYuen.

************

**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.

*************

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](https://i.imgur.com/KvB270N.jpg) 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](https://i.imgur.com/9J8lYUb.jpg). Can't expect much for $1.25, though (especially when it comes with blades). The [blades](https://i.imgur.com/LscZS2D.jpg) 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](https://i.imgur.com/0Ol4Jsn.jpg) growing its [own beard](https://i.imgur.com/PnQnDnf.jpg). 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.

*************

**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


*************

**Contest Hashtags**:

#FOF

\#ROTY