Aftershave Gift Recommendation

[pdillon]

A year ago I got my brother-in-law a wetshaving starter kit for his birthday and he really took to it. The kit contained an HD, proraso green tub, and an EJ medium best brush. I was thinking this year I would get him a boar brush and a nice aftershave.

For the aftershave, I was thinking something high-end. The two that came to mind for me (both on my wish list but never tried) are Musgo Real or Alt-Innsbruck. Does anyone have opinions on either of these as a gift, one vs other, or other suggestions?

Here are the things I know about him:
Yves Saint-Laurent L'Homme is his favorite cologne
He also likes L'Occitane Eau Des Baux
He really likes Proraso Green Tub
He is African American and prone to ingrown hairs (wetshaving has cleared this up, but thought it might help)

I am going to be asking about the boar brush in the brushes forum.

 

[Mick]

the larger size (12.5 oz) of Clubman. Not an expensive gift but one that he may well appreciate more than the others (YMMV)

 

[Wingnut]

I have not tried Alt Innsbruck, so I can't comment about it, but Musgo Real AS is really great. If price were no object, I'd use it every day. There are a few things about Musgo, though, that might make it not as appropriate for your brother-in-law: specifically, it contains a LOT of glycerin, which can lead to a sticky feeling if it is over-applied. Also, given what I know about the summers in St. Louis, it can be a bit heavy for the heat.

Given that he likes his Proraso soap/cream, what about a bottle of Proraso splash? It's a classic old-world splash in the same vein as Musgo, but being mentholated is a great splash when the weather turns hot. However, it's not like Osage Rub, in that it can easily be used all year long. If he's a balm kind of guy, there's a Proraso option there as well. ...And, given the relative cost of Musgo and Proraso, you can get him twice as much for the same cash!

 

[LittleLebowski]

How about a gift certificate to one of the shaving vender sites?

 

[winstonage]

+1 Alt Innsbruck. Is he using Witch Hazel? Might help with the ingrown hairs.

 

[petr]

The Alt Inns is much easier to like and wear. Not much for skin care, and some say the alcohol is not good for ingrowns, but Alt is great stuff.

Musgo splash is powerful juice. Unique scent. I would not buy it as a gift blind. But, who knows? The Musgo balm is also famous stuff, not as strongly scented, and great for the skin. It contains Allantoin which is great for ingrowns.

Nice thought. That little green poraso travel tub soap 75ml is a neat gift.

 

[ZackP]

If it was me (and this is just me), I'd go spend the $25 for aftershave on AquaVelva, Skin Bracer, Family Dollar Old Spice, and Brut. Also maybe a balm. That way he has a collection of the drugstore classics. It seems like the vast majority enjoy AV and Skin Bracer, and then a very high amount like Old Spice. Brut? Maybe a lot less, but hey...it's cheap so it's worth a try!

 

[infotech]

Musgo Real isn't like normal aftershaves. For me it doesn't matter how little I use it is very sticky when applied and the scent isn't all that great, but the main problem is the tackiness. If there were a product between a splash and ASB, Musgo would be it.

Since he already likes Proraso cream, I'd get him the perfect pair of aftershaves: Proraso Splash and Balm. If you only want to get him one, I'd go with the splash.

 

[JoshuaNY]

I haven't tried anything you mentioned. But in doing a bit of research for similar scents to what he already liked he may like the Musgo, it has similar notes to his favorite cologne.

The DR Harris Windsor might be a good fit as well, it also seems similar to Yves Saint-Laurent L'Homme "The Windsor scent initially brings to mind their Arlington, but deeper, with sweet orange and green herbs. It deepens into warm leather, black pepper, vetiver and patchouli" (WCS descrtiption)

Again, I havent used these products, but based on the scent description, they sound promising.

 

[pdillon]

Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up going with the Musgo Real. I wasn't aware that it had glycerin and was different than a typical splash. Perhaps it is similar in consistency to Trumper's Skin Food? The Harris Windsor suggestion is a good one. I could have tried that but saw it after I placed the order. Maybe that's one for the future. I wanted to get him something sort of luxurious that he might enjoy but wouldn't necessarily purchase for himself.

 

[Wingnut]

...I wasn't aware that it had glycerin and was different than a typical splash. Perhaps it is similar in consistency to Trumper's Skin Food? ...

Musgo is a fine choice. It IS a splash, with the typical watery consistency. That's where it fools you: you'd never expect anything with a splash consistency to get sticky when over-applied.

When you give the Musgo to your B-I-L, just say, "If God wore aftershave, he would wear Musgo Real!"

 

[Shady24]

Musgo is nice.. I would have suggested Proraso splash since he likes the soap so much....