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The combatants
It’s never fun when life gets in the way of one’s hobbies, but it happens. On the bright side, progress has been made. We found a qualified tenant that’s due to sign a lease on our apartment today, signed a lease on our new place in Brooklyn, started prepping to move at the end of the month, and started getting ready for a little surprise business trip to China. Given all of this change, and the fact that the wedding is now 4 months away, my quest to remain smoke free have faltered slightly, but I’m committed to getting back on track.
Anyway, nobody cares about why I haven’t updated. All that matters is the next battle; the final battle in round 1.Every once in a while, randomness works out quite well, and this was one of those cases. It was the closest match of the first round, by far, and had it not been for the luck of the draw, these two could have easily ended up in the finals. These are the only two I had used for a meaningful amount of time, and I was interested in seeing how this played out.
In the red corner…
Lab Series Maximum Comfort Shave Cream
What they say:
WHO IS IT FOR: Formulated for all skin types.
HOW DOES IT WORK: Creamy formula softens and prepares beard for a close and comfortable shave. Rich, concentrated texture allows for excellent razor glide and protection. A patented formula system provides immediate relief of irritation and stinging.
HOW/WHEN TO USE: Apply thin layer to clean, wet face and neck. Shave as usual.
What it cost: $24 for an 8-ounce tub, $15 for a 3.4 ounce tube
What I paid: $25 for a Sephora sampler pack that included 1 ounce of this and a bunch of other things, along with a coupon for a full size of one of the items in the package.
Past experience: Lab Series was the first “premium” product I used, and I used a lot of it…Over the years, I tried the shave gel, after shave, clay mask, daily moisturizer, some sort of eye thing and the shave cream. I loved the shave cream at first, but the reason for my adoration was also the reason for the eventual switch. It had benzocaine in it, which numbed the skin just enough. It was a great feeling, although eventually it led to my shaving with too much pressure. The benzocaine prevented me from feeling any irritation initially, but once that wore off, it was pretty unpleasant and I ended up moving to a new brand. I’ll try to be gentle here.
Smell: Not much. It was clean, a little powdery, but nothing overwhelming or overpowering. I don’t remember exactly what it smelled like back in the day, but it seemed different from what I used to use.
Lather: I didn’t remember what the lather was like, as I used to just slap it on. Not anymore though. It was smooth and expanded nicely, but didn’t get too foamy. It felt great being brushed on, but didn’t have the numbing feeling I remembered.
Shave: Wow…this was great. None of the tingling I remembered from when I used to use Lab Series. There was just enough resistance. It wasn’t overly slippery and there was minimal drag.
Aftermath: Much better than I remembered it. I missed the tingle at first, but there was no irritation, burn, redness or anything else unpleasant. It felt like I had put moisturizer on and the post-shave stuff also felt good.
Fiancee: She reiterated her feelings on the stupidity of this whole endeavor, reminded me that our new apartment had much less bathroom space and I’d need to cut down on all of my “man creams.” I begged her to weigh in and she said I looked much better clean than half-shaven.
Overall: A very pleasant surprise given past experience. I did some research and it looks like they changed the formula a year or two ago and removed the benzocaine, which explains the differences from my youth. The comments on their website were surprisingly negative – seems people were fond of the benzocaine, but in the opinion of this humble reporter, the new version is a BIG step up.
Link
They’re running a Friends & Family promotion with 25% off and free shipping that ends at midnight tonight. You can probably access it from the home page, but just in case, click here instead.
And its opponent…
Fighting out of the blue corner…
The Art of Shaving Unscented (ignore the toilet in the background…having trouble cropping)
What they say:
Product Description: The Art of Shaving Shaving Cream softens and lifts the beard for a close and comfortable shave, and protects the skin from irritation and razor burn. Rich with glycerin, coconut oil and essential oils, the shaving cream leaves your skin smooth and moisturized. It can be lathered up with a shaving brush or with fingers.
How to Use: Always shave during or after a hot shower. Using hot water, lather up a small amount of Shaving Cream with a brush or your fingers and shave with the grain. For a closer shave, re-lather and shave lightly across or against the grain. Rinse with cold water and apply After-shave Balm.
What it cost: $22 for a 5 ounce tub / $14 for a 2.5 ounce travel tube
What I paid: $10 for their 4 Elements Starter Kit, which includes 1 ounce of cream, 0.5 ounce bottles of pre-shave oil and after shave balm and a travel brush. These normally go for $25 and include a coupon for $25 off a full-size kit (normally $100). I bought a bunch on Black Friday at Sephora as gifts – they didn’t include the coupon, but still a hell of a deal for the brush alone.
Past experience: Art of Shaving has been my go-to brand for a while now. I’ve been using their other flavors pretty religiously for the last year or two. I’ve got one of their brushes, the oil and cream in lemon, lavendar, sandalwood and ocean kelp, but have never tried unscented.
Smell: Very plain. It was nice, but there was really no discernable scent with this one like there was with some of the other unscented products.
Lather: They say it can be used with or without a brush. I’ve never tried it sans-bristles and had no intention of starting now. It went on nicely, with a little big of a foam but nothing major. It was a little looser / more watery than the Lab Series.
Shave: It was what I’ve come to expect from AOS. Their products are pretty consistent from variety to variety (the lone standout is ocean kelp, which is the newest one). I didn’t think the unscented would be much different and there were no real surprises here. It was solid – no major resistance, not overly slick. It felt good, like what I’d imagine an old-school barbershop shave would be.
Aftermath: One small red spot, but nothing unbearable. There was a very slight sting when I did the post-shave regimen (doesn’t happen when I use their after shave). It looked and felt fine the next morning though.
Fiancee: She was somewhat indifferent, saying that the shave looked good, but that I looked like an ass with half a beard.
Overall: It’s as solid a contender as their other varieties. Not a life-affirming experience, but it does its job and it does it well. If I were a 1980s commercial shmuck, I’d use “no fuss, no muss” as the tagline.
Link
I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer up a coupon here too. NYCPRIDE will get you 15% off online orders through June 30th.
And the winner is…
This was a huge surprise. I had no idea they removed the benzocaine, and if it was in there, I suspect Art of Shaving would have won out, but the reformulated Lab Series was awesome. Based solely on performance, it would’ve been a tie but in this completely subjective review, the lower cost and lower expectations heading in propelled Lab Series to victory.
I leave for China tomorrow and will have to shave like a normal person to avoid any potential issues. Using a single cream for my next shave or two will probably help prep the old mug for the round 2 matches.
Happy Shaving…
Healthy for the Wedding 