I went for a tour around SF with the wife today looking for additions to the aftershave program. Stopped into a small fragrance shop called Nancy Boy, who are "famous" for their Signature Scent Shaving Creme. After sampling this and two other scents, I left empty handed with a bad taste in my mouth. Absolutely a disappointment. Next, we headed out to a nice little spot in the mission named Fellow Barber, specializing in straight shaves and manicuring facial hair. They had a nice assortment of accoutrements in their shop, but again, nothing really spectacular and nothing worth walking out with.
After this, we headed to the Castro. In the midst of the wide variety of skin care products aimed at the "alternative lifestyle" gents in the Castro, I didn't find many shave products. However, a walk into L'occitane introduced me to a new product that they have recently added to the line-up. I am not a fan of Cade or their L'occitane balms, so the decision to enter was more due to the wife's interests. Standing around disinterested, she called me over to a table in the middle of the store where they were highlighting new products. She immediately put the Cedre & Oranger Aftershave Balm ($30) on my hand and I was blown away. It was just the right mix of woody musk with refreshing citrus. I didn't walk out with a tube, but this shot to the top of my x-mass list. I highly recommend walking into the L'occitane to try this out next time you pass by.
After walking out of L'Occitane, again, my wife tugged my arm into an antique shop just a few doors away from the center of the Castro district. Usually, I would be psyched with the possibilities of finding a sweet DE at a low price, but the location and clientell of this shop made me think this would be a long shot. What I found next absolutely proved me wrong.
I came across a case that contained 3 DE's. Three Gillette New's, 2 that were worse for ware and this baby... a serial numbered (1930) Gillette New De Luxe Belmont/Criterion 2-Piece in 24k Gold. The handle looks like most of the plating has worn, but the base and the head look a bit better. The combs are true and straight. The only minor defect is a hairline crack in the handle. This came mismatched in a very nice condition Aristocrat case, with perfect leather outside and fully functional hinge. Also came with a 24k blade holder. All for the low low price of $15! I'm psyched to pop in one of the vintage Clix Thin blades that came in the case and have at it. This was my first find-in-the-wild.
The Lesson Learned: Always listen to the wife.
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After this, we headed to the Castro. In the midst of the wide variety of skin care products aimed at the "alternative lifestyle" gents in the Castro, I didn't find many shave products. However, a walk into L'occitane introduced me to a new product that they have recently added to the line-up. I am not a fan of Cade or their L'occitane balms, so the decision to enter was more due to the wife's interests. Standing around disinterested, she called me over to a table in the middle of the store where they were highlighting new products. She immediately put the Cedre & Oranger Aftershave Balm ($30) on my hand and I was blown away. It was just the right mix of woody musk with refreshing citrus. I didn't walk out with a tube, but this shot to the top of my x-mass list. I highly recommend walking into the L'occitane to try this out next time you pass by.
After walking out of L'Occitane, again, my wife tugged my arm into an antique shop just a few doors away from the center of the Castro district. Usually, I would be psyched with the possibilities of finding a sweet DE at a low price, but the location and clientell of this shop made me think this would be a long shot. What I found next absolutely proved me wrong.
I came across a case that contained 3 DE's. Three Gillette New's, 2 that were worse for ware and this baby... a serial numbered (1930) Gillette New De Luxe Belmont/Criterion 2-Piece in 24k Gold. The handle looks like most of the plating has worn, but the base and the head look a bit better. The combs are true and straight. The only minor defect is a hairline crack in the handle. This came mismatched in a very nice condition Aristocrat case, with perfect leather outside and fully functional hinge. Also came with a 24k blade holder. All for the low low price of $15! I'm psyched to pop in one of the vintage Clix Thin blades that came in the case and have at it. This was my first find-in-the-wild.
The Lesson Learned: Always listen to the wife.
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