A Little Traditional Shaving

IMG_0570Growing up I did not have my father around to teach me how to shave. I also didn’t have YouTube or the Internet so it was up to myself to learn the in’s and out’s of the blade. I would say that middle school me (yes, I started shaving early) did a pretty good job at keeping myself straight. As I grew older I didn’t take shaving as seriously and let it go for months at a time. In high school I started to rock a goatee for most of those years and then eventually in college I started keeping it clean again.

During all that time I used regular store bought disposable razors. You know the ones, triple, quadruple, octoblades with contouring angles and gel to help keep the stroke smooth. At some point I picked up an electric shaver, which I still have, but only used a handful of times. I am not a fan of the pre-electric shave lotion, and then the after shave lotion to battle the irritation. Plus charging! It just got tedious just to get a quick shave in, so I went back to the store bought disposables. Those are what I have been using for the last decade or so, that is until recently.

MenEssentials.com sent me over a few products to check out in exchange for this review. Happy to oblige, I was sent a Merkur Solingen 23c Double Edge traditional safety razor, some Lea Classic shaving cream, and a MenEssentials Razorsafe to put my used blades in. I will have to admit that I was a little nervous about using the new safety razor. I had never used anything like this and not having the strip of gel or the contour maneuvering like I was used to starting giving me second thoughts about trying this out.

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Putting fears aside I gave it a shot anyway. I loaded up the included sample blade, started lathering up some of the Lea Classic shaving cream and got to work. Immediately I was impressed. One of the problems I typically have with disposables is that they get clogged up so fast and just rinsing them off doesn’t clear out all of the straggly hairs. The Merkur handled this perfectly. A quick rinse and I was back in business. While I didn’t time myself so I’m not 100% sure on this but it felt like my shave time was a lot faster as well. Sure, this doesn’t have the contour maneuvering but I don’t think you really need it after using the Merkur for a little over a week. My face feels and looks great and I feel like I get better accuracy when lining up the edges of my sideburns. I give the Merkur a ten out of ten. No wonder it is listed as one of the best selling safety razors on the planet.

menessentialslogoAs for the shaving cream. Embarrassingly enough I’ve used my wife’s shaving gel for several years now and have been pretty happy with how it works with the disposables. Lucky for her, I will no longer be using that cut-rate stuff anymore. The Lea Classic shaving cream leaves my skin feeling incredible. Getting that clean, fresh feeling after a shave is incomparable to many of the other brands I’ve used. After using Lea Classic I’m actually finding it hard to want to try another cream. In my opinion it is just that good.

The MenEssentials Razorsafe hasn’t been used yet, and I’m not exactly sure when I will be dropping my first used blade into it. Whenever that might be, at least I know that I can drop these blades into this metal box and not have to worry about my children’s hands grabbing a blade out of the trash can like they could with a disposable. These blades are sharp and can hurt those little fingers, so it’s important to have a game plan for getting rid of these other than just tossing the used blades in the trash. The Razorsafe is very inexpensive and the perfect item to add to your MenEssentials order.

MenEssentials provided St. Louis Dad with these products as compensation in exchange for an honest review. Please visit MenEssentials.com for more shaving tips, shaving products, and more!

Playskool Heroes Jurassic World Dino Tracker!

IMG_0517The hype behind Jurassic World is real. The movie is exciting and keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you have been busy all summer I suggest you get a chance to see it on the big screen before it’s too late. Fortunately for my little ones they get to bring the action home thanks to Hasbro’s line of Playskool Heroes!

This four piece set includes the Dino Tracker 4X4 with working Dino Tracking Technology this vehicle emits a red light showing the dino footprints needed to track and capture the included Velociraptor figure. You can secure the raptor in the included cage that attaches to the Dino Tracker. And let’s not forget the hero of our adventure. He does not have a name listed on the box but we like to pretend it’s Owen from the movie.

What I really like about this toy is that it has very simple pieces. Things do not get too complicated for my daughter and son to figure out. The vehicle rolls great and the cage actually stays attached. My son let out a squeal of excitement when we unboxed the raptor. His bright orange color make him easy to spot by any child. One thing you will probably notice is that Hasbro has done an excellent job at making this vehicle work with other Playskool Heroes figures. Such as the Marvel or Star Wars characters. The figures fit perfectly with Owen and the Dino Tracker, making an expanded Jurassic/Marvel/Star Wars universe a possibility.

IMG_0589Making these toys compatible with each other is every kids dream. It keeps things in scale and a lot more fun for the kids. We as parents spend hours upon hours making sure our children’s toys are separated. Action figures in this box, cars in another, ponies in another. Adults like to keep things clean and organized. But let’s be real, kids like to use their imagination, and if that means Twilight Sparkle is being hunted by Spider-Man riding the Dino Tracker than so be it!

There is also a Dino Copter that you can purchase to go along with the Dino Tracker. It has a figure and a dinosaur to go with it as well. Check out the images below to see both of these great toys in high quality!

jurassic-world-deluxe-vehicle-tracker-4x4 Jurassic World Deluxe Vehicle - Dino Tracker Copter

Hasbro provided St. Louis Dad with this product as compensation in exchange for an honest review. Please visit Hasbro.com for more toys, games, and other products your children will sure to enjoy!

Boo Bar Treats for Halloween!

chewy.comThis month Chewy has the perfect treat for your doggies this Halloween season. Boo Bar treats are a mix of pumpkin and cinnamon baked together with whole grains, fruits, and veggies. Made by The Blue Buffalo Co. these were very loved by both Clark and Miss Lady. Too be perfectly honest I wasn’t optimistic about these treats at first. I wasn’t sure the dogs would like a pumpkin and cinnamon flavored treat. Like usual, I was wrong. The dogs loved them and were begging for them every time we got them out.

IMG_0444Holiday themed treats are a fantastic way to switch it up from the normal treats you may get for your dogs. If you get to enjoy some pumpkin in your latte, why not give your pets a nice pumpkin and spice treat too! These would be great to give out to any dogs that may be out trick or treating (with their owners permission of course).

Again, like some of the other dog treats we get, we had to put these ones up so the kids could not see them. The fun packaging can really fool those that cannot read yet. My son Alex threw a nice tantrum when we would not give him a treat. He is only 19 months right now so he just doesn’t understand, and it’s kinda funny when you think about it. I’m sure he would probably think these are pretty tasty too! We’ll keep them away from him just in case.

Chewy.com provided St. Louis Dad with these products as compensation in exchange for an honest review. Please visit Chewy.com for more toys, treats, and other items needed for your pets!

Beets Blu Wireless Scale

IMG_0383Beets Blu has once again offered one of their awesome devices up for review. This time around I have been checking out the Beets Blu bluetooth scale. At first look this scale is very sleek. It has a nice glassy shine to it and has a nice weight, so it doesn’t feel like it was cheaply made. The scale uses wireless technology to send data to your smartphone. The app I used with the scale is called Beets Blu Smart Scale and is a free download in the iTunes and Android store. The app has the ability to sync the data collected with the included iOS health app. This is nice if you also the health app to track various things such as weight and BMI.

Once I had the scale out of the box I got out the instructions and made sure I knew what to do. Evidently, for best results you will want to take off your shoes AND socks. There are metal sensors that help take measurements that arn’t just about your weight. It is also recommend to have the scale on a hard surface. It says it in the instructions but I didn’t pay attention and gained 30 extra pounds by weighing myself on the carpet as opposed to on a hard floor.

IMG_0406Getting data is an important part to maintaining a healthy diet. Beets Blu wireless scale is the perfect tool for the toolbox in measuring weight, BMI, and wirelessly sending that data to your smartphone for unlimited record keeping. Be careful not to let anyone else stand on the scale when you have your smartphone with the app opened up. My daughter stood on it while right after me and added some skewed results to my data. So if my graph looks a little funny that would be why. I do not have enough data to really get a good idea of my weight loss progress but you can get a good idea from the image on the left.

The scale itself can support up to 330 pounds! So many do not have to worry about breaking the device if they are heavier. If you are serious about losing weight or maintaining your current level this device is totally worth a look.

Note: St. Louis Dad was provided a complimentary scale from BeetsBlu in exchange for this honest review.