Ah yes, spring. Birds, bees, flowers, trees… Boxhead rides a bee like no otherFireball-fueled fraternity meatball riding a mechanical bull in a bar…
And new Amazon sales. Now that’s Amazon’s biggest sale of the year, yes? Prime Day, Prime “Big Deal Days” in the fall, and now this one. Unlike other big ‘Zon sales, you don’t seem to need a prime membership to participate in this one. At least for some deals. Some deals are, in fact, members exclusive. We will document that if/if necessary.
Are you ready? Let’s get to the selection. It gets a little random. That’s Amazon for you.
It won’t please a shoe snob like a pair of Gustin’s Italian sneakers… but these are under a hundred bucks, simple white court sneakers, AND they’re available in a wide range of sizes. I can’t say that about many other sneakers. Sold/dispatched by Amazon, so if it turns out it doesn’t fit or you don’t like the way it looks or feels, returns are very easy.
Sunglasses are one of those products that get hit the hardest because of cost. If it’s not a high-end designer name made in Italy, it’s probably made in China. And Carfia is mostly made in China. They are one of those brands on Amazon where anyone can wonder if they are really decent. They are beyond respect. They are really good. Acetate frames are smooth, bright lenses, and look great with no bad marks. Five different frame/lens combos to choose from. 50.5mm lens diameter, but honestly they wear a little bigger than that. It’s not big. Far from it. Probably best for medium sized faces/heads.
Another style of Carfia. “Mr. Skillful Mr. Ripley” is smaller compared to the previously mentioned Retro Classic model. Good weight acetate frames, split lenses, good feeling hinges, no stupid/obnoxious visual branding, and at 53mm should fit most guys just fine.
Citizen has released a new version of their Tsuyosa line, meaning the previous version is sold out everywhere. Amazon has given the green dial a 45% price drop. Full review here (for the black dial) if you’re interested.
Kiehl’s gets it right. There are no overpowering scents, their ingredients are well reviewed, and the branding/packaging looks good/old on the bathroom counter if you choose to leave it there.
NOTE:Kiehl’s is currently running a 25% off / 30% off sale for members directed directly to their site. But if you don’t want to mess with trying to meet the free shipping limit you have to spend, and you have Prime, Amazon might be the way to go depending on how much you’re buying and how fast you want it.
It’s getting to be that time of year when more airflow helps. No need to remove the bic. Just keep it tidy.
The “buy once cry once” The theory behind better spenders is understandable… until they realize that we all rent before we buy. If you’re just starting out, on a tight budget, or have a wedding coming up and need a pair of shoes to wear quickly, these might work. That said, try them on (on the carpet) and choose based on how they feel/fit.
It’s above average grip, yet doesn’t drift into the concrete/crusty area. Super matte finish. A sweet yet masculine scent. It smells so good that when someone tells you “you smell good” (it’s happened to me, thank you very much) you get that thank you and you don’t wear cologne. For a few years these things had disappeared from Amazon. Maybe it got caught up in the “wrinkle” retail fiasco, and/or it was only available in salons, or maybe it was discontinued. Who knows. BUT. It’s back now, and it looks like Amazon has cut a deal with L’Oreal to have an authorized product page and sell/restock a bunch of L’Oreal stuff, including their men’s line.
Hanging your suits or sportcoats on small hangers will damage the construction and fabric. We’ve all seen sweaters that hang on hangers only to have weird bumps on the shoulder when you take them off, right? 1. Don’t hang sweaters. Wrap up. 2. The same thing happens with suits and sportcoats on skinny hangers, only on a smaller and less visible level. But it still happens.
Ironically, it’s made by SONGMICS, the same brand that produces the aforementioned wide-shouldered hangers. Does SONGMICS sound like a random Amazon product? Yes. Do they seem to produce better products than other poorly named ones?XYZProducts4Ubrand? Indeed. They seem better than most.
First, the bad news: “38% recycled leather, 43% synthetic leather, and 19% polyurethane.” That’s not an ideal mix, and it can lead to cracking and premature cracking.
The good news is that the designers got the color combination right. Black on one side, lightly textured brownskinproperty on the other hand. Most reversible belts come with black on one side and cognac or tan on the other. Medium brown or brown has many variations. Another expensive option (worn by yours truly as of typing) would be this Portland Leather belt. But since the Calvin Klein option is half the price.
Well that’s random. But it’s a good price if you want a fancy chronograph but don’t want to spend a ton of money. For context, these are attached to the full price of $209 more than Timex direct.
It seems to be around this price range, but the same has to be said. Because sometimes you want a short sleeve button up in cool cotton poplin.
For those who like the smart old-school look of a rectangular watch, but don’t want a fancy old-school name. It looks really well worn, and does a weirdly “modern Rat Pack” thing.
Because the unrelenting heat and humidity will be here soon. Fabric underwear for work can be expensive. These are on the other hand (cheek?) an affordable option that many guys love and depend on.
Spring cleaning tip: Give your suits and sport coats a brush and steam. That will refresh them without drying them in the dry cleaners.
This is a really impressive handheld steamer. Some portable steamers just crash on the floor and don’t do the job well. They spit up water or hard water deposits, are difficult to catch, and/or the water reservoir is depleted quickly. Not at any rate with this well-made, easy-to-use, high-water tank train. The fewer trips to the dry cleaner the better, as regular dry cleaning can be difficult for suits, sportcoats, and blazers. So unless it’s dirty or starting to smell, smooth out the wrinkles with this and be on your way.
Speaking of spring cleaning. Look, it’s not what you’re wearing. But your space (and how you maintain it) is a reflection of your style. We used our Dyson this week to clean/spring clean my wardrobe.
It’s been selling decently for a few days now, but it’s still worth mentioning again. Normally priced close to $300, Citizen’s Nighthawk is oneyou are busylook. But it still looks good somehow without feeling like it’s trying too hard. Maybe because everything about it is so practical. Pilot watch style with sword hands. Additional GMT hand so you can tell the time in all different time zones. It also has a slide rule. Yes, slide rule. The Movement is Citizen’s most popular, highly accurate, solar Eco-Drive quartz movement. The Nighthawk also features one of the best bracelets you can find on a watch under $500.
Amazon’s official soap purchase!
“Oh man, $4.80 per bar of soap? That’s great marketing. Grocery store bar soap is fine.”….Ehh. Agree to disagree. As someone who recently made a budget cut and went back to cheap bar soap for a while, this soap seems really worth it. Dr. Squatch is cool in the USA, its fragrances are very masculine and masculine (not like the usual soaps that smell like your Grandma’s room), and most importantly it feels like something… you know, you should be using it to clean your skin. It’s hard to get excited about soap. But the bulk of Dr. Squatch is smashing the “buy now” button for some of us.
If you happen to be planning a warm weather vacation and want to repeat the Goggins. It appears that it only gets the double coupon/discount for select special members. If you see a little coupon box, tap it and you should drop the price below $140ish.
One word:
Traveling by plane.
“That’s two words, man.
What? Sorry. I don’t hear it(*turns up the volume*)
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is coming to an end… well they don’t seem to say when it ends. At least for now. Maybe you’re going away for a few days? We’ll update if we find out we’re running out of time, and we’ll update if new items go on sale (like Gift Cards… no gift card at the time of initial posting.)