Everyone has their favorite lip balm and it takes a lot to convince them there’s something better out there and make the switch. But when it comes to Jack Black, there’s not argument: they know how to make a very good lip balm. Another thing you can’t go wrong with? Their mint-flavored version.

When you think of what might be sold at a country club pro shop, you might think of Cremo or Polo Green cologne. Selfish’s Shave Cream would also probably be on that self if we were curating. And that’s not a bad thing!

Late summer can still having you reaching for a tasty treat to keep cool - an ice cream or milkshake getting in the way of staying healthy. But what if we told you could you have your cake and eat it too? Founder Cindy Kasindorf created Remedy Organics, a line of 100% plant-based protein beverages using superfoods, ayurvedics, botanical herbs, and prebiotics; each wellness shake can function as a meal replacement, pre or post-workout beverage, or nutrient dense snack

We’ve used Old Spice body wash, like, forever. The brand has innumerable scents for its body washes and deodorants and it does them rather well. It was also hard to argue that soap bars were pleasant to use - they can slip out of your hand if they were too big, or when sitting on your shower shelf either dry out and crack or sit until your next shower in with a mushy bottom. Body washes are practical and, to be fair, we hadn’t really seen a good bar soap anyway until we tried Anthony’s Exfoliating + Cleansing Bar.

Okay not really. But we did use -417’s Sensual Essence Intense Volumnizing Mud Shampoo which is based on Dead Sea Minerals to tone and tighten the skin, drawing out scalp scalp impurities all while nourishing and providing antioxidant UV exposure protection.

Their Hydroplane Super Slick Shave Cream has a texture like Neosporin or Neutrogena’s spot treatment - thick, white, and lotion-like, it certainly didn’t feel like a traditional shaving cream. While the foam was certainly missing from the experience, it didn’t stop us from achieving a close shave.

Even before COVID, keeping your hands clean before you ate while on the go or after you touched a lot of public surfaces was kind of important. But now that COVID doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, it’s as serious as ever to do what you can to keep yourself and others healthy.

For some reason Michael Germain’s Sexual Noir (for women) came across our desk even though it makes a version for men. Still, we’re all about breaking down old notions of what is ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ in the area of personal care and so we were game to try it out. Michael Germain describes this a floriental fragrance, with “layfully succulent mandarin and sweet strawberries flow[ing] into a sophisticated palette of mysterious patchouli, pink orchid, and deceptively innocent pink sweet pea flower.

Schmidt’s tweaked its formula (we’d like to think we had something to do with it but can’t claim credit for it). Since we wrote our last review, the scents have stayed the same (and they’ve even produced new ones) but the consistency of the deodorant has changed - it’s now like a ‘regular’ deodorant. No more waiting for the formula to warm up or unpleasant texture - this goes on super smooth and feels rich and creamy. It washes off easily too unlike a lot of natural deodorants we’ve tried - no lingering residue clinging to you.

As we continue to trudge through the summer, we’re determined to find at least one fragrance that comprised of quintessential summer smells - coconut suntan lotion, watermelon, freshly-mowed grass!

Shaving cream with 24K gold sounds like a relic of the aughts right before the 2008 recession. It stands in stark contrast to today’s world framed by concepts like wellness and vitamins, clean and natural, served up by brands with friendly names and minimalist packaging.

There are very few personal care brands that men know off the top of their head, and Jack Black is one of them. Jack Henry should be the other Jack you should know. What began with face oils in early 2019 has now become a favorite of the likes of Kevin Love. Founded by Kyle Bardouche after after concerned about the many questionable ingredients in the hair product he was using at the time, Jack Henry makes products that don’t use any synthetics or potential toxins.

We’ve tried Marvis toothpaste and while pleasant, couldn’t say that it was necessarily better than Crest or Colgate. Would their mouthwash be any better? Theirs works like any other - it features a  formula designed to kills germs without stripping or irritating your teeth and gums.

Taking your daily vitamins has never been easier - with gummy vitamins like OLLY Men's Multivitamin Gummy, staying healthy is tasty and kind of fun (remember when Flintstone vitamins were the only option you had?).

Washing your hair with charcoal sounds a bit counterintuitive - after all, when you think charcoal, you think of it as something you wash off your body. But charcoal is being used a lot in wellness products, from soaps to water bottles.

It took us a lot longer to try out and evaluate this scent. It would be far too easy to write this off as yet another fresh one that blends in with the rest because, to a certain extent, it does: it’s commonly known that large houses like Versace make their money from fragrance, cosmetics, and accessories so it’s in their best interests to create something with mass appeal.

Jack Black is fairly consistent at turning out quality products - this we know. After having used their Turbo Wash which is advertised as being for hair and body, we were confused about why their All Over Wash exists, advertised for hair, body, AND face. Can’t I just used by Turbo Wash on my face too? Our initial thoughts exactly. Except that your face is different than the rest of your body: unlike the skin on the majority of your body, the skin on your face is almost always in direct contact with the sun and is particularly thin, thus making it even more susceptible to aging; it also has smaller skin cells and more oil glands.

“With a double shot of espresso in hand and a swagger in your step, you take an extra circle around the block, mouthing the lyrics to the song blasting in your headphones.” That’s the way Confessions of a Rebel introduces its scent F*CK MONDAYS (edgy name). This scent packs lively citrus notes, fruity elements like peach skin and apple, and clary sage and sandalwood for a piquant mood-boost. It’s definitely fresh, something that helps retain that ‘just out of the shower’ feeling - think unbuttoned polos, sunny days, GREECE.

Whitening toothpaste has been around forever, but that takes a lot of time. Strips and trays also exist, but those can cause a burning sensation on your gums. So we were excited to learn about this under-advertised wonder - Colgate’s Optic White Overnight pen.

Oily skin can bothersome and embarrassing, not to mention make it hard to find the right combination of products that won’t add further shine. That’s why we were delighted to try Kieh’s Oil Eliminator 24-Hour Anti-Shine Moisturizer. We’re always a bit skeptical of products promising to do what they say or perhaps just existing to sell us something that we don’t even need, but Kiehl’s definitely proved us wrong and we’re glad they did.