So...thanks to all of you good folks on here, I decided to head in NYC a little early yesterday for a client meeting so that I could drop by Pasteur's on 34th and Park.
This really is a paradise for all wetshavers and even though a relatively small percentage of their store is dedicated to shaving products, it's incredibly easy to walk up and down that section starting, drooling, wishing, and wanting. I had gone there thinking that I might pick up "just a few" things, and ultimately I was able to stick to my guns. I did get a couple of items that I didn't quite plan on, and I was tempted by a few other things that I was able to resist...at least for the time being.
Attention: Non-shaving related tangent ahead. Skip over if not interested or have a lack of sense of humor.
Unfortunately, my time at Pasteurs didn't get off to a smooth start. After about 5 minutes of pacing up and down the aisle I started to feel....well, not entirely well. Trying my best to ignore the gurgling in my nether regions I persevered and attempted to continue with my browsing. Unfortunately, this started to become bothersome enough to the point that I could no longer continue with a relaxed demeanor. I already had a couple of items in my basket and I was dressed rather well, so I figured that perhaps the nice woman at the front of the store might recognize that I'm not just some random schub off the street, and therefore would allow me to use her bathroom. I approached her with the most humble face that I could muster and asked if she would provide me with some relief. She hesitated for a moment and then proceeded to tell me that if I went to the doctors office next door and told the doorman that "she" (I forgot her name) sent me over there, then he would allow me to use their restroom.
A little hesitant, I realized I had no choice but to follow her directions. I proceeded next door, approached the doorman with a smile, and informed him that the nice woman next door said I should ask him to use the facilities. He graciously pointed me in the right direction and I was on my way. I enter the restroom and notice that the previous person had gone number 1, and had forgotten to flush the toilet. Great. I go ahead and make the flush myself and get down to business.
After emptying the entire contents of both my small AND large intestine, I decide to give a courtesy flush so that the paint didn't start peeling off the walls. It was at that moment I realized why the person before me didn't flush himself. Apparently, the handle on this toilet is a bit tricky and requires the perfect touch in order to get it to work. It just so happened that when I flushed it the first time I had the magic touch. Unfortunately, I didn't have it any longer. I made about 20 attempts to flush this damn toilet...only to end my efforts in failure.
Dismayed, I figured I needed to make a very quick exit out of that building, and I knew that there was going to be a very unfortunate soul that was going to encounter the chemical spill that I had just left behind. Before opening the door with the plan on running out of there with my head down and my tail between my legs, I decided to give one final effort. Voila! The magic touch returned and the toxic waste vanished below the streets of Manhattan. Victory!
Non shaving related story over. At ease, soldier.
So anyway...I ended up with some Castle Forbes Lime shaving cream, a bottle of Osage Rub a tube of Marvis Strong Mint toothpaste, and a bottle of Pinaud Lime Sec. The Lime Sec was kind of an impulse buy and also a compromise to my strong desire to pick up a bottle of Royall Lyme. They actually had a tester of the Royall Lyme, so I gave myself a squirt on my hand just to see what the smell and longevity was like. The smell was amazing, and it turned out the longevity was quite good for a lime aftershave, as I caught hints of it for a couple hours afterwards. Unfortunately, this was the one item I saw that was very much overpriced relative to what I've seen from online retailers. Everything else there was as cheap, or cheaper.
As of this point, I haven't tried the CF lime yet, although in the tub it smells fantastic! The Marvis toothpaste was just ok...it sure has a cool looking tube and all, but I think for the price I'm going to stick my my Arm and Hammer. The Osage Rub sure does freeze the face, but I find that I smell like Vicks Vapo-Rub for quite a long time afterwards...so that's a no-go. The Lime Sec was...ehhhh. Decent enough scent going on, but it quickly fades to a soapy/powdery scent. I have a feeling it's going to get PIF'ed or sold in the near future...at which point I'll be picking up some Royall Lyme on Amazon.
So anyway...even though 3 out of the 4 things I picked up were fails, it really was a wonderful experience. I did mention to the woman up front that I heard about their store from B&B, and she graciously gave me a 10% discount on my purchase. Note...I didn't ask for it, so if you're reading this and planning on making the trip, I suggest that you not ask for it either and just cross your fingers that you caught her on a good day. YMMV.
This story is getting a bit long in the tooth, so let me just also briefly add that I also stopped by the NY Shaving Company on 49th and 3rd and picked up their St. Patricks Shaving Cream. My intention was to get their Tonsorial, due to the recommendations of a few, but I didn't really like the scent nearly as much as the St. Patricks. I shaved with it this morning and it was very good. I think a decent way of describing it is a milder version of Irish Spring bar soap with some hints of pine sprinkled in. Excellent lather and great cushion. The only caveat is that it might not be great for sensitive skin. It had quite a bit of "tingle" to it, much in the same way that Proraso Green or Martin de Candre has, so if those aren't friendly to your skin, this might not be either.
Pics ahead...thanks for reading!
You have new shaving supplies? Cool. I found a glove.
This really is a paradise for all wetshavers and even though a relatively small percentage of their store is dedicated to shaving products, it's incredibly easy to walk up and down that section starting, drooling, wishing, and wanting. I had gone there thinking that I might pick up "just a few" things, and ultimately I was able to stick to my guns. I did get a couple of items that I didn't quite plan on, and I was tempted by a few other things that I was able to resist...at least for the time being.
Attention: Non-shaving related tangent ahead. Skip over if not interested or have a lack of sense of humor.
Unfortunately, my time at Pasteurs didn't get off to a smooth start. After about 5 minutes of pacing up and down the aisle I started to feel....well, not entirely well. Trying my best to ignore the gurgling in my nether regions I persevered and attempted to continue with my browsing. Unfortunately, this started to become bothersome enough to the point that I could no longer continue with a relaxed demeanor. I already had a couple of items in my basket and I was dressed rather well, so I figured that perhaps the nice woman at the front of the store might recognize that I'm not just some random schub off the street, and therefore would allow me to use her bathroom. I approached her with the most humble face that I could muster and asked if she would provide me with some relief. She hesitated for a moment and then proceeded to tell me that if I went to the doctors office next door and told the doorman that "she" (I forgot her name) sent me over there, then he would allow me to use their restroom.
A little hesitant, I realized I had no choice but to follow her directions. I proceeded next door, approached the doorman with a smile, and informed him that the nice woman next door said I should ask him to use the facilities. He graciously pointed me in the right direction and I was on my way. I enter the restroom and notice that the previous person had gone number 1, and had forgotten to flush the toilet. Great. I go ahead and make the flush myself and get down to business.
After emptying the entire contents of both my small AND large intestine, I decide to give a courtesy flush so that the paint didn't start peeling off the walls. It was at that moment I realized why the person before me didn't flush himself. Apparently, the handle on this toilet is a bit tricky and requires the perfect touch in order to get it to work. It just so happened that when I flushed it the first time I had the magic touch. Unfortunately, I didn't have it any longer. I made about 20 attempts to flush this damn toilet...only to end my efforts in failure.
Dismayed, I figured I needed to make a very quick exit out of that building, and I knew that there was going to be a very unfortunate soul that was going to encounter the chemical spill that I had just left behind. Before opening the door with the plan on running out of there with my head down and my tail between my legs, I decided to give one final effort. Voila! The magic touch returned and the toxic waste vanished below the streets of Manhattan. Victory!
Non shaving related story over. At ease, soldier.
So anyway...I ended up with some Castle Forbes Lime shaving cream, a bottle of Osage Rub a tube of Marvis Strong Mint toothpaste, and a bottle of Pinaud Lime Sec. The Lime Sec was kind of an impulse buy and also a compromise to my strong desire to pick up a bottle of Royall Lyme. They actually had a tester of the Royall Lyme, so I gave myself a squirt on my hand just to see what the smell and longevity was like. The smell was amazing, and it turned out the longevity was quite good for a lime aftershave, as I caught hints of it for a couple hours afterwards. Unfortunately, this was the one item I saw that was very much overpriced relative to what I've seen from online retailers. Everything else there was as cheap, or cheaper.
As of this point, I haven't tried the CF lime yet, although in the tub it smells fantastic! The Marvis toothpaste was just ok...it sure has a cool looking tube and all, but I think for the price I'm going to stick my my Arm and Hammer. The Osage Rub sure does freeze the face, but I find that I smell like Vicks Vapo-Rub for quite a long time afterwards...so that's a no-go. The Lime Sec was...ehhhh. Decent enough scent going on, but it quickly fades to a soapy/powdery scent. I have a feeling it's going to get PIF'ed or sold in the near future...at which point I'll be picking up some Royall Lyme on Amazon.
So anyway...even though 3 out of the 4 things I picked up were fails, it really was a wonderful experience. I did mention to the woman up front that I heard about their store from B&B, and she graciously gave me a 10% discount on my purchase. Note...I didn't ask for it, so if you're reading this and planning on making the trip, I suggest that you not ask for it either and just cross your fingers that you caught her on a good day. YMMV.
This story is getting a bit long in the tooth, so let me just also briefly add that I also stopped by the NY Shaving Company on 49th and 3rd and picked up their St. Patricks Shaving Cream. My intention was to get their Tonsorial, due to the recommendations of a few, but I didn't really like the scent nearly as much as the St. Patricks. I shaved with it this morning and it was very good. I think a decent way of describing it is a milder version of Irish Spring bar soap with some hints of pine sprinkled in. Excellent lather and great cushion. The only caveat is that it might not be great for sensitive skin. It had quite a bit of "tingle" to it, much in the same way that Proraso Green or Martin de Candre has, so if those aren't friendly to your skin, this might not be either.
Pics ahead...thanks for reading!
You have new shaving supplies? Cool. I found a glove.
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