falling out of love

[rushchairman]

for the first time in a few weeks, i splashed on some clubman this morning and discovered something was missing - more than that actually, i discovered my first love wasn't quite doing it for me anymore. clubman is the thing that drew me into the DE world, and now, to my dismay, my love's grown cold!

i must have changed, because i'm fairly certain it hasn't.

have you had a similar experience? an aftershave, razor, soap, etc that you once adored, just doesn't turn you on anymore?

 

[Krona Kruiser]

That's why you need to load up on an assortment of different creams, soaps, AS's, DE's. Variety is the spice of life.

 

[Big_Tex]

Oddly enough, I have had the exact same experience with Clubman the last two times I've put it on. When I first got it, it was my favorite scent. For some reason lately, the powdery notes of it have been hitting my nose so strong that it makes me kind of nauseous. :-(

Know what scent I never get tired of? Old Spice. Yes, it was mine/your/our grandfather's aftershave, but by golly, it smells good.

 

[JayEddie]

That's why you need to load up on an assortment of different creams, soaps, AS's, DE's. Variety is the spice of life.

Or the Old Spice of life

 

[ateace]

My fall/winter go-to has been Lustray Spice and it hasn't let me down yet.
I'm not sure if it's an original of theirs
or a knockoff of another brand (a la Lustray Coachman and Clubman),
but it's a great scent for the colder weather.
If I take more than a few seconds to decide on a scent for the morning, I just reach for the Lustray Spice.

 

[Klos Shave]

Oddly enough, I have had the exact same experience with Clubman the last two times I've put it on. When I first got it, it was my favorite scent. For some reason lately, the powdery notes of it have been hitting my nose so strong that it makes me kind of nauseous. :-(

Know what scent I never get tired of? Old Spice. Yes, it was mine/your/our grandfather's aftershave, but by golly, it smells good.

Exact same experience on both counts here this week as well. Maybe it's the time of year? What I know for sure is Clubman just isn't working right now. But Old Spice is. Always does

 

[Attila]

Variety is indeed the spice of life. The solution is to have a few that you can alternate with!

 

[Mack The Knife]

Been using Old Spice since I was 15, back then there was only one kind.
I can not see ever using anything else.
I will end up with a box of razors, maybe a few packs of different blades, but my soap and after shave shall remain the same

 

[michiganlover]

Just gives you reason to go out and buy something new. Lots of nice deals to be had on Aftershave/ Cologne during the Christmas season.

Enjoy using something new, and you can come back to your Clubman in a few weeks.

I seldom use the same cologne two days in a row. Variety is the spice of life!!

 

[Mick]

If you like Clubman and think you want something that is similar but not the same try Master Topaz.

Similar but not Clubman.

It might bring the fire back in your after shaving routine

 

[michiganlover]

If you like Clubman and think you want something that is similar but not the same

Similar but not Clubman.

In that vein, the following are all similar to Clubman:

Brut
Canoe
Avon's Wild Country

Dollar General, and Family Dollar sell a Brut clone (made by ViJohn) that is popular on the boards, and available for about a $1.75. Give it a whirl!!

 

[wagstaff]

I liked the idea of Clubman. Old school chic, cheap, available. But too much powder for me. Once I get used to it enough to stop thinking about it, it just bums me out. The thinking part is kind of fun. Trying to notice all the subtleties and decide if I like it. But once that's over, I have several hours to go. FWIW I liked Alt Innsbruck less. And in the same ways.

 

[ChiefBroom]

Maybe you had a persistent sinus infection that warped your olfactory perception.

And now you're back to normal.

Praise God! Then get yourself some Musgo Real, Proraso, Floid Vigoroso, and Dominica Bay Rum with Lime.

 

[wagstaff]

I don't think the Alt-I smells.anything like Clubman... it just bothers me the same way. I'm engaged with trying to figure out what I like and don't about them both for a while. Then I need to scrub them. I like your recommendations.... only have the Dominica among them. Is the Floid not powdery? I like powder to be powdery. Splashes, not so much, I'm learning.

 

[ChiefBroom]

I have Clubman (in a vintage bottle). But I like it just to take occasional nose hits from the bottle. It's nostalgic to me -- reminds me of going to get my hair cut in old-fashioned barbershops when I was a kid (late 50s, early 60s -- before the Beatles). But it's way too powdery for my taste to use.

I bought a 400 ml bottle of Vigoroso out of curiosity back in March and didn't care for it much at first. The problem wasn't that it was too powdery; it just seemed overpowering. I didn't use it more than 3 or 4 times before September or early October. Then I splashed some on one morning and absolutely loved it. Musgo Real is my main AS; I use it after every shave. But I follow-up with refreshers throughout the day. And the level of Vigoroso is now going down faster than anything else on the shelf other than the Musgo. Previously it was Proraso, which was pretty close to neck-and-neck with Musgo. In fact for a while I simply applied a mixture of Musgo and Proraso (actually quite nice).

The other aftershaves I use with some frequency (not counting witch hazel and Florida water, which I dilute heavily in ice water and bury my face in for 1+ minute first thing after laying the razor down every morning) are Floid Blue, La Troja, Speick, & Tabac. The only one of those I'd call powdery is Tabac, and while there's something about it I definitely like, I also struggle with it a bit.

I doubt any of this will be helpful to you. It's such a personal thing.

 

[rebos]

Variety is the spice of life.

+1

 

[wagstaff]

Thanks Chief Broom -- I saw pics of your Clubman bottle and thought that was super cool. I get the nostalgia thing, *wanting* to like it, and I think it gives a pretty good face feel. I'll finish what I have. It will just take a very long time because I will almost always reach for something else. The Vigoroso kind of scares me ("overpowering") but it's another one that is much beloved. I think Speick is great, one of my favorites for just face feel and the scent is both decent and very fleeting. So no reason to dislike it. I saw somebody on another thread say they liked the Musgo more, so it's been on my radar. But the price is just.... well, how much mojo can it have? It costs a lot more than the Speick. I'm scared of the Tabac (does it smell a bunch like the Alt-Innsbruck?).

My go-to splashes are Captain's Choice or Krampert's, on the one hand, and Speick on the other, for immediate post-shave. I get your "refresher splash" habits, and I think we talked about the Dominica Lime with that. I'm very fond of Portland General Store's "Whiskey", but that is more of a toner, almost -- the scent is awesome but too light and too short-lived; it's alcohol-free. It's really a light thing. And then there's everything else.... I've tried several others, nothing as good (for specific uses) as those things. I'd be most interested in something else Speick-like; that is, with awesome face-feel and a scent that won't clash with other things, whether deodorant or an EdT, etc.

The Musgo is still on my "must try" list. I just pull back whenever I try to justify the price, compared with other things I know I like. (I'm also very curious about a couple of the LaToja splashes. And probably 25 more).

 

[DICE]

i splashed on some clubman this morning and discovered something was missing - more than that actually, i discovered my first love wasn't quite doing it for me anymore.

Say it isn't SO!

 

[lordfink]

To answer the OP's question...

My fall-out-of-love-with item was Castle and Forbes Lime A/S/B. When I got it... I couldn't use anything else. It was phenomenal. Crisp smell, nice protection, never too oily, never too dry. But think I over did it. Now it just doesn't do it for me anymore and the bottle remains unfinished. Now I have a new love... C&F Lavender A/S/B =)

 

[OkieStubble]

In that vein, the following are all similar to Clubman:

Brut
Canoe
Avon's Wild Country

Dollar General, and Family Dollar sell a Brut clone (made by ViJohn) that is popular on the boards, and available for about a $1.75. Give it a whirl!!

Would it be possible if I added Paul Sebastian to your list of similar scents John? And as you said earlier, plenty of gift sets at bargain prices this time of season.