Greetings everyone! I'm in the process of putting some stuff together for a Father's Day gift for my dear old dad. I'm really excited for this because whenever I talk about wetshaving he always seems excited. Better yet, I'm only 18 and he's in his mid 40s! I've been thinking about getting him some stuff for a while, but this little anecdote helped me decide for sure.
Last night we were at the mall looking at ties (high school graduation on Monday!
) and as we were leaving Macy's, I commented on how I thought it was funny that the men's fragrances are upstairs, yet the men's skincare stuff is right by the exit downstairs. Keep in mind we were about 40 feet away from said skincare products.
Suddenly my eyes locked on a display. I knew those boxes. Blue, yellow, dark red. The telltale vertical stripes. A small white circle making out the barely discernible words "The Art of Shaving."
I said "No way, I didn't know we had Art of Shaving stuff!" Note the nearest supplier of AoS stuff used to be in St. Louis. We promptly went over to check it out and a lady working there immediately hurried over to us and starting asking us if we were familiar with the stuff. I said I was; my father responded in the negative. She said they had just stocked the stuff literally a day before and she had just returned from a "class" educating her about the ins and outs of the products (the class was in St. Louis, unsurprisingly).
After a few minutes of talking (my family is from St. Louis) and browsing the stuff, we each left with a sample pack of their pre-shave oil, cream, and balm. We smelled all of the creams and my dad especially like the lemon. This is what made me decide to go full speed ahead with the Father's Day gift.
I'm hoping to put together a "kit" with cream(s), soap(s), and aftershaves. No DEs yet as he has to shave early in the morning and I'd rather him enjoy the experience of traditional lather first. I have plenty of razors and blades for him to try on weekends, however. I ordered some aftershave samples from a few different places (Saint Charles Shave included). Most of there are for myself but I threw in a few with him in mind and I plan on giving them for him to test so I can get a gauge for what particular kinds of AS he likes.
As far as creams and soaps go, I'm definitely getting the AoS lemon. I might get a tube of Godrej just for variety's sake. For soaps I think I will order some Pre de Provence and I'll probably get some VdH at Walmart.
So far the kit is shaping up to include:
-Tweezerman badger brush (I plan to break it in per ambrose's method before I give it to him)
-AoS Lemon cream
-Godrej cream (possibly)
-Pre de Provence soap
-VdH soap (possibly)
-SCS aftershave splashes (possibly)
-"Drugstore" aftershaves (Aqua Velva, Clubman, Old Spice)
-Some kind of mug or bowl
-Possibly a new cologne
He's never been much of an aftershave guy, but he seems really interested in traditional wetshaving. I know he'll love the stuff, it's just a matter of me getting some good stuff for him.
I would absolutely LOVE input on EVERYTHING that I plan to include in this set. Be it additions, subtractions, suggestions, I'm totally open to anything. I've loved this place since the day I joined so I figured I'd bring this idea of mine here for discussion. Thanks again for being so awesome, guys.
Last night we were at the mall looking at ties (high school graduation on Monday!
) and as we were leaving Macy's, I commented on how I thought it was funny that the men's fragrances are upstairs, yet the men's skincare stuff is right by the exit downstairs. Keep in mind we were about 40 feet away from said skincare products. Suddenly my eyes locked on a display. I knew those boxes. Blue, yellow, dark red. The telltale vertical stripes. A small white circle making out the barely discernible words "The Art of Shaving."
I said "No way, I didn't know we had Art of Shaving stuff!" Note the nearest supplier of AoS stuff used to be in St. Louis. We promptly went over to check it out and a lady working there immediately hurried over to us and starting asking us if we were familiar with the stuff. I said I was; my father responded in the negative. She said they had just stocked the stuff literally a day before and she had just returned from a "class" educating her about the ins and outs of the products (the class was in St. Louis, unsurprisingly).
After a few minutes of talking (my family is from St. Louis) and browsing the stuff, we each left with a sample pack of their pre-shave oil, cream, and balm. We smelled all of the creams and my dad especially like the lemon. This is what made me decide to go full speed ahead with the Father's Day gift.
I'm hoping to put together a "kit" with cream(s), soap(s), and aftershaves. No DEs yet as he has to shave early in the morning and I'd rather him enjoy the experience of traditional lather first. I have plenty of razors and blades for him to try on weekends, however. I ordered some aftershave samples from a few different places (Saint Charles Shave included). Most of there are for myself but I threw in a few with him in mind and I plan on giving them for him to test so I can get a gauge for what particular kinds of AS he likes.
As far as creams and soaps go, I'm definitely getting the AoS lemon. I might get a tube of Godrej just for variety's sake. For soaps I think I will order some Pre de Provence and I'll probably get some VdH at Walmart.
So far the kit is shaping up to include:
-Tweezerman badger brush (I plan to break it in per ambrose's method before I give it to him)
-AoS Lemon cream
-Godrej cream (possibly)
-Pre de Provence soap
-VdH soap (possibly)
-SCS aftershave splashes (possibly)
-"Drugstore" aftershaves (Aqua Velva, Clubman, Old Spice)
-Some kind of mug or bowl
-Possibly a new cologne
He's never been much of an aftershave guy, but he seems really interested in traditional wetshaving. I know he'll love the stuff, it's just a matter of me getting some good stuff for him.
I would absolutely LOVE input on EVERYTHING that I plan to include in this set. Be it additions, subtractions, suggestions, I'm totally open to anything. I've loved this place since the day I joined so I figured I'd bring this idea of mine here for discussion. Thanks again for being so awesome, guys.
