Luxury Barber
The Breakdown:
Monthly | Cost: $29.99/month* | At least 10 products| Grooming Products |
Ships via USPS | Ships worldwide (international subscribers have to pay shipping)
*Get a longer subscription for better prices!
Luxury Barber is all about helping you up your grooming game! They send out samples of luxury brand names every month such as Billy Jealousy and dr. Brandt. Plus, they will always include a featured full size product so you won’t feel as though you’re only getting one-use items. If you live in the US, you’ve lucked out because you get free shipping – but international subscribers who are grooming fiends can still get in on the action because Luxury Barber ships worldwide!
You can opt in on the following plans:
$29.99/monthly (+ a 10% site discount)
$27.99/month with 6-month subscription (+ a 15% site discount)
or $25.99/month with an annual subscription (+ a 20% site discount)
This is like Birchbox Man with an emphasis on grooming products and so many more samples every month! Did you know that they have a points system too? You get 50 points just for signing up, 15 points for every product review you write, and 1 point for every dollar you spend. The conversion is 10 points = $1. I love it when subscriptions also feature points systems. >:D Plus, there aren’t a lot of quality subscriptions for men so I definitely had to say yes when they so kindly asked me if I would review their box!
The info card.
First look.
Their box is awesome. It’s one of those magnetic-automatic-close boxes that are great for storing all your samples/smaller-sized products. I’m totally keeping this. (I love that it’s grey – not enough subscription boxes are grey, in fact I don’t think I’ve seen one before…)
Everything was individually wrapped!
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Suavecito Original Pomade (Full size: 4 oz, $9.99) – This is their promised full size item for April! I don’t know a lot about pomade except that it can be both a great and terrible product depending on how a guy uses it to style his hair. But this one smells amazing and it gets 4.5 stars on Amazon from 178 customers! The cool thing (for me, at least) is that it’s made in the USA and the company is from California. Also, this is water soluble so you can wash it out easily at the end of the day.
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Fresh Richie Men’s Wipes (2 wipes, $1.99) – These are great for a post-gym workout if you don’t have time to shower right then and there. Or if you simply forgot your deodorant and need something for a quick fix. I haven’t opened one of these yet, but the pack says it includes peppermint oil and chamomile so I know they probably smell super refreshing.
Fresh Vetiver Aftershave by Fine (0.5 oz/15 ml, $2.25) – THIS SMELLS SO GOOD. Can I just keep this to use myself as a perfume? :p Very masculine, very fresh, and very woodsy. I love this. It’ll definitely smell amazing on any man.
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Montez Renault No. 05 Shaving Cream (2 fl oz, $5.88) – This is great to throw in your bag for a trip! (that’s the great thing about subscription boxes; I never have to worry about going out to buy toiletries for travel because all of the samples are perfect travel-size products already). This includes aloe vera, jojoba oil, and coconut oil so you know it’ll be great for your skin.
Astra DE Blade (pack of 5 blades, $2.25) – These replacement blades are great for any double edge safety razor. They are made with stainless steel and are advertised to be gentle enough even for the most sensitive skin.
Mühle Organic Body Lotion and Organic Shampoo – Neither of these have sizes listed on them, so I can’t approximate the prices. But Muhle looks to be a luxury German skincare brand! Or at least, their packaging makes it seem that way… and packaging goes a long way. ;) I tried the lotion and it’s a very light weight, fast-absorbing formula. I didn’t like how it smelled but I think most guys would like it because it’s very neutral and kind of smells like oats/some sort of wood mixed with spice.
The scent description was very interesting!
“Pure green – Marine, floral, green: these are the fresh scents with which we have infused our natural cosmetic series. Lime, cardamom, and elemi form the head not. as it dissipates, the floral heart note emerges: rose, pear and mint. The green base note, which is responsible for the long-term effect of the fragrance, is formed by cypress and vetiver.”
Now see, I really don’t get any of the top notes… but I guess the cypress is what I get… and maybe some of the cardamom too.
Billy Jealousy Salad Days Exfoliating Body Scrub (2 fl oz/60 ml, $4.5o) – Ahhh, Billy Jealousy! I’ve definitely heard of this brand before – because Birchbox sends it out regularly. I wish I loved the scent, but the patchouli kind of ruins it. (I just can’t stand the scent of patchouli – it gives me a headache). However, it does contain the scents of sage, citrus, and mint as well. It’s very invigorating and if you’re a morning shower person, this would really help to wake you up!
Gel-like with little colored “floaties”. (LOL floaties just make me think of floating zombies). I think these are mini plastic beads… which really aren’t great for the environment. :( As they are plastic, they don’t dissolve as you wash, which means they will go down the drain and into the rivers/oceans, ultimately destroying delicate ecosystems. So very unfortunate.
Billy Jealousy Whipped Cream (2 fl oz/60 ml, $7.33) – The first thing I smelled when I opened this was LAVENDER. And then I looked at the ingredients list and… BOOM lavender oil. XD If you don’t like lavender or if you’re allergic to lavender, this is definitely not for you.
This whipped cream has the coolest texture! And it looks like half-metallic/half-plastic, somehow. I kind of want to keep this for myself so that I can use it to shave my legs. :p
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Luxury Barber Comb (
$9.99
, $1.00) – Um……… yeah, no. This is not worth $10. It’s basically a plastic comb and it’s not even the good kind. (though their info card claims that it’s made of long lasting and durable plastic.) I could literally break this thing in half with just my hands and nothing else. XD But that would be wasteful.
Sorry, but I would price this only at $1 (if even that – because come on, we all know the actual cost to make this thing was probably less than $0.05 since it’s likely mass produced). However, it’s a nice inclusion along with the pomade for hair styling, but that price is way inflated.
Evolution Man Wash and Buff (2 packets: 0.17 fl oz each, $1.70) – This is a deep cleansing formula that is supposed to also help prevent ingrown hairs! I think that’s pretty awesome because ingrown hairs really aren’t that comfortable or fun to get rid of. Plus, I don’t believe there are many mainstream products that help prevent ingrown hairs.
The April 2015 Luxury Barber box!
Overall value: $36.89
Overall enjoyment: I thought this was a pretty well-curated box that delivered on its name and promise. They really do try to send you all sorts of samples so that you can find out what works best for you and I think that’s the best thing about this subscription.
How does it compare with Birchbox Man? Well, Birchbox Man is $10 cheaper, but they send out only 4 (5 if you’re lucky) products a month, which kind of limits your discovery of new products in general. Sometimes Birchbox Man also sends out shitty products like Number 4 shampoo, so there’s that. :p Luxury Barber comes in a better box and really does try to expand your grooming horizons. But they don’t have cool lifestyle products like Birchbox Man. (life style products are like electronics, t-shirts, whisky stones, ties, etc.) Both of them do have points systems, but Luxury Barber actually gives good discounts on those in their online shop. Plus you’re guaranteed a full size grooming product every month with Luxury Barber.
So if you are serious about starting a skincare routine or your cultivating your grooming rituals, then definitely go with Luxury Barber. But if you like life style products, then Birchbox Man might be more your speed.
*Disclosure: The above item was complimentary and received for review purposes. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received. I only review things that are in line with my interests and wouldn’t subject you, my dear readers, to boring products or subscriptions.