Ah yes, springtime. The birds, the bees, the flowers, the trees… Boxy the Box Head riding a bee like some Fireball-fueled fraternity meatball riding a mechanical bull at a bar…
And a new Amazon sale. So now that’s three big Amazon sales per year, yes? Prime Day, Prime “Big Deal Days” in the fall, and now this one. Which unlike the other two big ‘Zon sales, it does not appear you need a Prime membership to participate this time. At least for some of the deals. Some deals are still, in fact, Prime member exclusives. We’ll make note of those if/when necessary.
Ready? Let’s get to the picks. It gets a little random. That’s Amazon for you.
Not gonna impress a shoe snob like a pair of Gustin Italian sneakers would… but these are under a hundred bucks, nail the perfectly simple white court sneaker look, AND they’ve even got some wide width size availability. Can’t say that for a lot of other sneakers. Sold/shipped by Amazon, so if they show up and they don’t fit or you don’t like the way they look or feel, returns are super easy.
Sunglasses are one of those products that are getting hit hard by tariffs. If they’re not some high end designer name made in Italy, they’re probably made in China. And Carfia is very much made in China. They’re one of those brands on Amazon which anyone would wonder if they really are decent. They’re more than decent. They’re really good. Smooth acetate frames, polarized lenses, and they’re classy looking with no obnoxious branding. Five different frame/lens color combos to pick from. 50.5mm lens diameter, but they honestly wear a little bigger than that. Not huge. Far from it. Probably best for average sized faces/heads.
Another Carfia style. Less “Talented Mr. Ripley” compared to the previously mentioned Retro Classic model. Nicely weighted acetate frames, polarized lenses, good feeling hinges, no silly/obnoxious visible branding, and at 53mm they should fit most guys just fine.
Citizen has rolled out a new version of their Tsuyosa line, which means the previous version is going on sale all over the place. Amazon’s giving the green dial a 45% off price drop. Full review here (of the black dial) if you’re interested.
Kiehl’s just gets it right. No overpowering scents, their stuff is well reviewed, and the branding/packaging even looks good/classic on the bathroom counter if you choose to leave it there.
NOTE: Kiehl’s is currently running 25% off / 30% off for members direct through their site. But if you don’t want to mess with trying to meet a free shipping must-spend threshold, and you’ve got Prime, then Amazon may 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 a little increased air flow helps. No need to bust out a bic. Just keep it neat.
The “buy once cry once” theory espoused by people of better financial means is understandable… until they realize 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 dress shoes fast, then these could work. That said, try them on (on a carpeted surface) and be picky with how they feel/fit. Shoes that don’t fit aren’t worth a dime. And some reviews indicate these may run a little trim in terms of width.
It’s got above average hold, yet it doesn’t drift into concrete/crunchy territory. Super matte finish. Lightly scented with a fresh but still masculine scent. Smells good enough that when someone tells you that “you smell nice” (has happened to me, thank you very much) you’ll get to tell them thank you and that you don’t wear cologne. For a few years there this stuff had disappeared from Amazon. Perhaps it got caught up in the retail “shrink” fiasco, and/or was available only in salons, or maybe it had been discontinued. Who knows. BUT. It’s back now, and it appears Amazon has cut a deal with L’Oreal to have an authorized brand page and sell/fulfill a bunch of L’Oreal stuff, including some of their men’s line.
Hanging your suits or sportcoats on skinny hangers will damage the construction and cloth. We’ve all seen sweaters that have been hung on hangers only to have those weird shoulder bumps when you take them off, yes? 1. Don’t hang sweaters. Fold them. 2. Same thing is happening to suits and sportcoats on skinny hangers, only on a smaller and less noticeable level. But it’s still happening.
Oddly enough made by SONGMICS, the same brand which produces the just mentioned wide-shouldered hangers. Does SONGMICS sound like a totally random Amazon-sourced brand? Yes. Do they seem to produce somewhat better stuff than the other awkwardly named XYZProducts4U brands? Indeed. They appear to be better than most.
First, the bad news: “38% recycled leather, 43% bonded leather, and 19% polyurethane.” That’s not an ideal mix, and it may lead to premature cracking and flaking.
Good news is that the designers have gotten the color combo right. Black on one side, lightly textured medium brown leather material on the other side. Lots of reversible belts come with black on one side and cognanc or tan on the other. A mid-brown or darker brown is much more versatile. The more expensive alternative (which is being worn by yours truly as this is being typed) would be this belt from Portland Leather. But as the Calvin Klein option is half the price.
Well that’s random. But a good price if you fancy a fancy chronograph but don’t want to spend a ton of cash. For context, these are stuck to the full price of $209 over at Timex direct.
Seems to hover around this price range, but worth a mention all the same. Because sometimes you just want a short sleeve button up in cool cotton poplin.
For those that like the old-school smart look of a rectangular watch, but won’t be shelling out for an old-school heritage luxury name. Looks really good dressed wayyyy up, and also does the “modern Rat Pack” thing extraordinarily well.
Because relentless heat and humidity will be here sooner rather than later. Performance fabric underwear can get pricey. These on the other hand (cheek?) are an affordable option a lot of guys love and depend on.
Spring cleaning suggestion: Give your suits and sportcoats a brushing and a steam. That’ll freshen them up without having to cook them at a dry cleaners.
This is quite an impressive handheld steamer. Some handheld steamers just flat out don’t do the job well. They spit water or hard water deposits, they’re awkward to hold, and/or the water reservoir runs out quickly. That’s not the case on any level with this super well made, easy to wield, plenty of water in the tank steamer. The less trips to the dry cleaner the better, as frequent dry cleaning can be hard on suits, sportcoats, and blazers. So unless it’s soiled or it’s starting to stink, release the wrinkles with this and be on your way.
Speaking of spring cleaning. Look, it’s not something you wear. But your place (and how you keep it) is a reflection of your style. Literally used our own Dyson just this week to deep clean/spring-clean my own clothes closet.
Been on decent sale for a few days now, but still worth another mention. Normally priced closer to $300, Citizen’s Nighthawk is one busy watch. But it still somehow looks good without feeling like it’s trying too hard. Probably because everything about it is supremely functional. Pilot watch style with sword hands. An additional GMT hand so you can tell the time across separate time zones. It even has a slide rule. Yes, a slide rule. Movement is Citizen’s very popular, very accurate, solar powered quartz Eco-Drive movement. The Nighthawk also features one of the best bracelets you can find on a watch under $500.
The official soap-buy of Amazon sales!
“C’mon man, $4.80 per bar of soap? That’s just fancy marketing. Generic grocery-store bar soap is just fine.” ….Ehh. Agree to disagree. As someone who recently made some budget cuts and went back to standard cheap bar soap for a while, this soap truly does seem to be worth it. Dr. Squatch is cold processed in the USA, their scents all smell great and lean masculine (and not like most generic soaps which smell like your Granny’s powder-room), and most importantly they feel like something… y’know, you should actually be using to clean your skin with. Hard to get excited about soap. But a Dr. Squatch bulk deal is a “buy now” button smash for some of us.
In case you’re planning a warm weather vacation and want to replicate Goggins. Appears to be getting the coupon/double discount only for select Prime members. If you’re seeing the little coupon box, tap it and you should drop the price under $140ish.
One word:
Air travel.
“That’s two words, moron.”
What? Sorry. Can’t hear you (*cranks volume*)
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is set to end… well they don’t seem to say when it ends. At least not yet. Probably goes for a few days? We’ll update when we find out when it expires, and we’ll also update if new stuff goes on sale (like Gift Cards… no giftcard at original post time.)
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Classic diver looks. On-the-fly micro extension in the clasp. Citizen's automatic tool watch gets a…