The review that follows was outsourced to my pal, Kevin Monahan, who
happens to possess the world’s most badass beard and man-bun combo that
has ever existed on man or beast.
My
friend, Abby Bean, contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I would be
interested in reviewing some vegan, men’s grooming products courtesy of the Vegan Cuts Men’s Grooming Box. Sure I
would. I mean, I look like a caveman and think of conditioner as a
luxury item, but as a vegan male I think I’m automatically qualified for this kind of thing.
Sage
and Arrow Coffee Scrub comes packaged in a metal tin. I’m a fan
of this idea, as it can be re-purposed into something else after its initial use has concluded. Upon opening it, I
had a few thoughts: mainly, “Is this dirt? It looks like dirt. Wait,
what’s that smell? Can I eat this? I want to eat this.” I was smart
enough not to follow through on eating it but it was great to use. While
it’s branded as a coffee scrub, the dominant smell is coconut. If you’ve
ever had vegan bacon made out of coconut, well, it smells just like that
with a hint of coffee notes at the end. The coffee grounds did work
great–both as an exfoliant and as an organic replacement to those unnatural little
plastic exfoliating beads that have become popular in scrubs.
The foaming part of the NYL Foaming Castille Soap was great and didn’t run like many Castille
soaps; specifically while lathering, the soap felt creamier and less runny than
other, similar soaps. This will be a definite addition to
my house. My only criticism is with the packaging; it was translucent
white lettering on a clear bottle making it difficult to read. If this
were at a friend’s house in a bathroom with multiple soap options I
probably would think this was something else and go with another, inferior option.
I really liked the Thrive face wash
packaging; it was simple, but memorable. One
potential issue for the fastidious crowd: the pump, when facing forward, is in
the locked position and must be turned to the side to work [Bean note:
eek!]. But, other than that, it smells like oranges and left my face not
just clean but
noticeably clean. This stuff works, you guys.
As you can see, when
I buy products I am a sucker for packaging. After all, since it’s gonna be sitting in my
house I want it to look nice. So when I went to pick up the Verb Hydrating shampoo to lather over my head I was unimpressed. It’s simple but boring
simple…plus, as soon as the bottle got wet I realized some of the
packaging ink had rubbed off onto my hand. Not the best start but I
wanted to make sure I judged the shampoo not for its packaging but for
the contents of its bottle (someone should really expand on the
importance of that idea…). The shampoo itself was thick and lathered
better than many vegan, all natural shampoos that I’ve tried. It also
did a great job of removing oil from my hair and had a light tropical
smell without being overpowering. This might not replace my favorite
shampoo but is certainly worth a try. The Verb Hydrating conditioner has a light grapefruity smell and is thicker and more dense than most conditioners I’ve used. I think this is specifically ideal for fine, dry hair rather than thicker hair,
as it felt like it added a bit of weight (I guess that’s what
they mean by hydrating). Luckily “fine” fits my hair profile [Bean note: you have a hair profile?] and I would
definitely use this product again. Bottom line: while the shampoo was alright the
Verb Conditioner was the clear winner between the two.
Brickell Men’s Products’ face moisturizer comes in a hard plastic bottle and was a bit
difficult to disperse in the desired amount….kind of like a glass ketchup bottle. It
has a distinctive, lemony smell and reminded me of the lemon Italian
ices I used to feverishly consume as a child. While the end goal was
attained (face moisturized), I think I was ultimately put off a bit by the lemony
smell. However, if lemon is your jam, you’re really gonna enjoy this.
I opened up Jonathan Product hair paste not knowing what to do with it. The packaging
only says “Jonathan Product” and I was left wondering if it was a body
wash, moisturizing cream, or something else. Thanks to the internet I
was able to determine its intended use and save myself from applying it in all the wrong places. I decided that since I have
really long hair I should only use a little. It definitely gave my
hair fuller body with a matte finish. The packaging says one of the
ingredients is avocado; the color and texture (think whipped avocado)
definitely support that claim. I think it might be a bit too heavy for my long hair,
but I’d be willing to give this another try if and when
I stop being a hippy and cut my hair [Bean note: gasp!].
I’ll say this about URSA Major face wash: if it was a whiskey, I’d drink it. It has a
medicinal smell partnered with a light fruit smells (probably
grapefruit, it’s always grapefruit!), but was refreshing. I wouldn’t necessarily use this the morning after one to many drams of Laphroaig, but I’d be fine with it any other time. It
definitely has a more traditionally “masculine” smell than most other washes
and, while it smells like a delicious whiskey, it’s subtle enough that no
one will think you’re washing with the real thing.
Ursa Major Fortifying face balm
has a slightly medicinal smell that is both crisp and clean. It felt
good upon application and my skin felt softer after using it, which is
always a good sign. One issue was that of marketing/packaging (a
recurring theme, I know) [Bean note: you’re a hardass!]: the packaging
said 100{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9}
natural, 80{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} organic. Sorry, you’re either organic or you’re not [Bean note: percentages are weird] [Megan Rascal note: um doesn’t that just mean 80{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} of the ingredients are organic? It’s almost impossible to get an organic version of some ingredients…I think it’s perf fine to say 80{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} organic, jeez hardass]
Deodorant is the one product where I still feel like the ones
packed with chemicals far outshine the natural, organic brands. The
latter type usually either don’t go on smooth and/or don’t do nearly as
good of a job deodorizing [Bean note: preach]. Also, being a fairly
sweaty guy I think both
myself and people in my vicinity appreciate the inclusion of
antiperspirants. So while I can’t say that the Bare Bones deodorant
completely beat out the scary, chemically-laden alternatives, it is indeed a very
worthy competitor. So good, in fact, that I’m happy to continue using
it. Not only isn’t it filled with chemicals, but it seems to keep my
pits from smelling and applies easily. I expect Bare Bones deodorant
will be on my dresser long
after I’m finished with the first stick.
The Preserve triple razor is made
with “love and recycled yoghurt cups”. While I like the idea of using
recycled materials, it was
pretty much reminiscent of an inexpensive, plastic razor and felt way too light–I
need some weight to my razors [Bean note: Interesting because I love this about their toothbrushes!]. Sure, this would work in a pinch, but
when the common decent razor has a metal handle with 5 or 6 blades this
just isn’t going to cut it [Bean note: I see what you did there]. Also, while I have no issue with this part
personally–using (presumably) non-vegan yogurt cups seems a bit
strange. Luckily,
the Ursa Major shave cream saved the shaving day. It’s comes out of the
tube as a thick paste and smells like a typical shave cream. Because
one small slip of the razor can ruin my beard, I’m a slow shaver. I
noticed that the cream sometimes would dry out a bit if I didn’t get to
it quick enough. Still, this is a common occurrence for most of the
shaving creams I use, so overall this was a product I really liked. Next
time I will just have to make sure I find a razor that’s equally as
deserving. To
finish off my shave I applied some Men’s Stock by Aubrey after shave balm. This aftershave was everything I like in an aftershave balm. It
felt refreshing, but did not sting and it was accompanied by a sandalwood
smell. While the packaging looked like it came out of the 90’s thanks
to the use of some teal. It was such a good product, I can forgive
them for it.
And so we’ve come to the Fanciful Fox beard oil. Now we’re talkin! A beard oil that softens my beard, keeps it
in line, and comes in a glass container with a tear dropper to ensure you
don’t accidentally spill half the contents onto your hand? Well done,
Fanciful Fox. You had some stiff competition but you are the all around
MVP of this kit!