a close shave

Smoooth

This is by far the best best shaving cream I’ve ever used. Proraso is an Italian brand that’s been around since 1907. I used to be a dedicated fan of  Kiehl’s White Eagle, but after reading about Proraso on some hipster shaving blog, I decided to try it (don’t bother asking me why I read hipster shaving blogs).

Anyways, loved it from the first shave. It smells great and only a small dab lathers up incredibly well. Lubrication is by far the best I’ve experienced. It’s also fairly inexpensive – $11 for a tube that will last you 6 months. It’s made with Eucalyptus, Menthol, and Glycerin and leaves your face tingling and super soft. Afterwards, you’ll smell like Marcello Mastroianni. Which is kinda cool.

You can find Proraso Shaving Cream at Amazon and at C.O. Bigelow.

Cheap Stuff I Like: Watch

Uncluttered interface. Stainless steel. Chronograph. Gorgeous.

I love my Timex T-Series Watch. Will you look at that face? Clean, stark, simple presentation of the time. Exactly how a watch should look. The case is stainless steel and quite beefy making it feel like a substantial piece of hardware on your wrist. It comes with a high quality leather strap that looks like it belongs on an Omega. It even has a chronograph (but really, who uses that).  Little details like the rakishly angled date nails the utilitarian but high design aesthetic of this watch. The only criticism I have is that it uses a unremarkable Phillipine-made movement rather than a Japanese or Swiss one. Still, it tells excellent time and the best part is that it’s only $64.  Save the money you would have spent on a Panerai and travel to Australia instead. Then you can take your Timex diving – it’s water-resistant to 165 feet. Get this watch. Link

Cheap Stuff I Like

Best $15 you ever spent!

This is one in an occasional series of posts on really cheap things that I like – either because they have an incredible price to performance ratio or they just look great. This first item delivers on both.

They are the Feiyue Brand Wushu Shoes. They’re intended for Kung Fu training but they excel for just walking around and looking great. I get frequent compliments on them and last year they were all the rage in the UK hipster scene (which drove the price to about $60). They are simple Chinese-made shoes constructed of rubber and cotton but have shown little wear after 6 months of regular use. They also provide a comfortable fit (although not a lot of arch support). I wore them all 4 days of Comic-Con and just tramped around San Francisco in them. They make great travel shoes since putting them on and off is slipper-like. Perfect for those annoying airport security checks. The only negative is the strong rubber smell when you first get them, but that wears off after a couple of weeks. Price: $14.99. Comfy, cheap shoes with a martial arts heritage. Highly recommended. Link

Blogging by iPhone

I’m really impressed with the iPhone WordPress application. It’s free and allows you to post text and pictures easily from anywhere. This post was written from my new, much admired and for the moment, quite rare, 16GB black iPhone.

Prepping for Comic-Con

Canon TX1, Nikon D80, iPhone 3G, Flip Ultra, Moleskine & MacBook Pro.

I’ll be attending Comic-Con in San Diego July 24-27th. I’ll be meeting with friends, clients, artists, studio execs, buyers, publishers and colleagues. With the box office success of The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Wanted and Hancock, this year’s convention will be the biggest one on record. In order to do my job both as a professional and as a fanboy, I’m coming with a utility belt full of shiny gadgets.  Obviously, I don’t plan on carrying all of it all the time. I just like to be prepared.

What are you bringing?