let me start of by saying that I have been on a hunt to find the full line of Master aftershave for a while now. I called a few places and they had no idea what I was talking about (same case with me finding menthol crystals locally) so I have been driving all over town hitting up beauty supply stores so I don't buy them and find out I don't like the scent. getting to the point, I came across Stephans Island Lime for around $6 so I picked it up. I decided to add some Osage Rub to add a menthol kick. the scent is almost exactly like Avon Island Lime and you can make it as strong as you like. has anyone else tried Stephans or any of the Master line? if so what are your thoughts?
I apologize for how long this is! I had almost the entire line of Master Well Comb. There are a couple scents I did not try. I'm not a fan, generally, but you may love their offerings. I do like a few of their scents, and even a couple I plan to keep on hand in my shave den permanently. I pieced the Master line together at an online barber supply store. I've mostly tried forgetting that whole Master debacle, but I will attempt to list each one that I had with a brief description of each. YMMV applies to each and every descritpion. Generally, I found the Master line to be sweet. It made me think if Kool-Aid made aftershave, then this is what it would be. Even the colors look like Kool-Aid. While I do like Kool-Aid, I don't want to rub it on me. There was never any sticky residue or ill effects to my skin from using any of the Master aftershaves. I also had an issue with a few of the scents disappearing almost immediately and then smelling like a mild rubbery chemical type smell (it wasn't overpowering but it was there, and not all of them did this). I didn't have an all bad experience with Master. Their aftershaves seemed good in the moisturizing department, the ones with glycerin anyway. Also, the scents that I do like, I like a lot. I'll try to list all the ones I had with my thoughts on each: Master Blue: Pretty much the same as Aqua Velva with slightly more and longer lasting cooling effect. YMMV. If you like AV, then you'll like this scent. If you don't care for the AV scent, then don't bother with it. It isn't the same scent and has a more unrefined fragrance, whereas the AV smells more refined. Although I like both scents, I'd choose the AV over the Master Blue just on scent alone. Also, AV is readily available and inexpensive where I live, and since I prefer the fragrance of the AV more, it just makes sense for me to buy and use AV. Lord & Master: This smells like a weakened version of Pinaud Clubman - a very weakend/diluted version. The scent is almost identical but it is certainly dialed back and not as intense. That may be exactly what would draw someone to this particular offering. That is exactly what pushed me away from this particular offering. I gave this bottle as a PIF to a friend. While this offering did not disappear and give off a rubbery chemical smell, Pinaud Clubman is readily available in my area, isn't expensive, and makes sense for me to just buy Pinaud Clubman instead. Jade: This is a pine and nutty scent. I honestly don't know what else it could smell like because it disappeared on my skin almost immediately. I wish it wouldn't have disappeared and then had that rubbery chemical smell, because I did like the opening notes on this one for sure. The opening notes reminded me of Polo Classic (in the green). It wasn't an exact match, but it was in the same family and is probably a much less expensive alternative than using Polo aftershave balms or lotions. I PIF'd this one to the same friend. Champagne: I only tried this one a couple times. The scent was really nice but it was way too weak for me and then it also turned into a rubbery chemical type smell almost immediately when putting it on. IIRC, it was a variation of the Lord & Master scent with an even lighter/less intense smell. I PIF'd this one to my dad. He gets headaches from some aftershaves and is able to use this one without getting a headache. He hates strong scents. Lilac Vegetal: I've been extremely impressed with this scent, and this is one that I definitely plan to keep in my shave den permanently. It has a solid floral note mixed with some greenery. Neither overpowers the other. It dries down smoothly. It makes a fantastic floral scent, if you are into floral scents. I don't use this as much as I'd like because I cannot buy this locally. I have to order it and pay shipping. I'm trying to ration it out so that I can order it at a time when I am ready to order other stuff. I'll probably order 2-3 bottles of it next time I order. Spice: This wasn't a bad scent. It was worth trying and may be exactly what you are hoping it will be. If you are anticipating an "Old Spice" scent, don't. It is a spice scent but not something you or anyone else will confuse with Old Spice. This is one of Master Well Comb offerings that I actually preferred over the Pinaud/Lustray offering (Blue Spice). Both scents are good, I just didn't use either of these offerings very much at all. I PIF'd 'em both to the same friend. Musk: The was probably the most Kool-Aid'ish scents for me. It had a very sweet light musk scent that smelled like a watered down version of Pinaud Musk with an extra helping of powdered sugar mixed in with it. I like Musk but this one was just too weak and too sweet for me. Again, the less intense scent may be exactly what you or another is looking for in an aftershave. You may like the sweet smell to it. Even the Pinaud Musk has an opening sweet note to it, but the Master just didn't bring home the showcase scent for me. This particular scent was completely gone in about 30 minutes. I could have lived with the sweet notes, if the Musk had only lasted longer on my skin. I PIF'd this one to the same friend. Challenge: This one smells great when opening the lid. It smells great when applied. It lasts on my skin and is very reminiscent of Pinaud Special Reserve. In fact, I'd call it Master's version of it, but with the strong scent of the Special Reserve dialed back. I actually like both the Special Reserve and the Challenge. To me, the Challenge is a bit more smooth in the scent delivery, while the Special Reserve is coarse and unrefined. Neither of these are available to me locally, so I'm not sure what I will do when these are gone. I may or may not replenish either of them. Iceland Breeze: I plan to keep this in my den permanently, too. I love using Iceland Breeze and then following up with Lilac Vegetal. Iceland Breeze has a nice floral note with the greenery scents emerging a few minutes after application. The floral notes wane, but still have a mild but recognizable scent. The greenery scents are the dominant fragrance. When I smell Iceland Breeze, I get this image of an open meadow with rolling hills filled with lush green grass and various flowers sporadically sprinkled throughout. I like this image and love this scent. It is sweet, like the other Master scents, but the sweet smell dies down quickly. Oh, and I can't forget to mention that Iceland Breeze has plenty of menthol to it. It is very cooling and moisturizing. I'd say a bit more than Aqua Velva but not as much as Osage Rub. This scent also transitions and pairs very well with Stirling Frozen Tundra, fyi. Topaz: <cough cough> "Old Spice" <cough cough> This version of Old Spice is actually good. To me, it is a bit sweeter and for some reason makes me correlate "buttery" when I smell it. The staying power of this one is good but is less intense than Old Spice and doesn't stick around as long. I have to say it is a very close match to Old Spice scent but is not as refined. Again, Old Spice is readily available to me locally and isn't expensive, so I'll opt for Old Spice for future purchases. Checkered Flag: This is another I plan to keep in my shave den permanently. This scent is a bit of an anomaly for me because it, too, reminds me of Kool-Aid in color and initial sweet top notes, but it has a very similar scent to Clubman Musk. In fact, I like to use this in conjunction with Clubman Musk or Pinaud Clubman. This scent has a barbershop scent and very decent staying power. If made to choose, I'd choose the Clubman Musk over this one. However, this scent has a certain 'ring' to it that differs from the Clubman Musk. I feel like I would miss this scent, if I didn't keep it in stock in my den. The scents I did not try are Bay Rum and Focus. At the time I had gotten Captain's Choice Bay Rum and Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum and was pretty turned off to Bay Rum scents. I've since developed a strong liking for Captain's Bay Rum. The Pinaud Bay Rum smells like Apple Cider to me and is not something I really want to wear. I don't remember why I didn't try Focus. Perhaps, I just forgot to add it to my cart when I checked out. If there are any other Master Scents I have but didn't list, then I can't think of what it is. YMMV (in case anyone missed that at the top). I hope this helps you, at least, with your curiosity about the Master Well Comb line. I haven't heard of Stephans, but I'm all ears/eyes waiting to learn about it.
thank you for breaking down the different scents. I got a chance to smell a few of them at the store and I agree with the kool aid similarities especially with the blue and musk. I was surprised with all the scent choices there would be more mention of them. I picked up the Bay Rum about a week ago and by itself it smells good but fades way to fast so I use it to mix with other aftershaves.
I was hoping I could go to local places to build my collection and I was curious about the Checker Flag and the Jade Master. I am quite impressed with the Stephans so I might stick with that until I find some a/s I have to have.
that is the place I was planning on ordering from. I am glad I managed to find a few of the scents at a beauty supply store because they were ones I would have ordered and I didn't care for them.
I might just pull the trigger and order some samples. they have samples of a few other brands that are on my watch list like Dragon Noir
Wow, $3 for a 1oz sample?! Don't those usually sell for $5 a quart? Blimey. How's their Lilac Vegetol stack up against Pinaud's Lilac Vegetal?
Hahahaha...well...ummm...I also PIF'd some Draggon Noir to that same friend. I think I liked that scent alright but it wasnt something I personally would use when I have other choices like AV, Pinaud Clubman and Musk, Old Spice, Stetson, Bay Rum, etc. IIRC, the Draggon had a citrus type scent, a bit sweet but not like the Master line, but also had an underlying mild cologne type smell something along the lines of Lacoste or the like. I didnt spend enough time with it to give much detail other than it was a nice scent, imo. I sent it on for someone else to love since I had too many A/S's at the time (I had around 30-ish different scents, not counting duplicates).
Ive never tried the Pinaud Vegetal. I thought I ordered this scent when I ordered a bunch of Pinaud A/S before. Im curious to see the difference myself.
I have smelled Vegetal from the bottle but I haven't tried it. the initial scent was not for me so I guess I wasn't chosen for The Veg
If the Jade will hold up with your body chemistry and not give that rubbery chemical smell, then you will probably really enjoy this scent. I really liked it for the 30-45 seconds that it lasted on my skin. I had read somewhere that the rubbery/odd smell would disappear and the aftershave scent would reappear. Yeah, no such luck for this guy. I waited - a few different times. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Cero. The Checkered Flag scent is thankfully one that lasts long enough that I can wear.
I have noticed that before how a lot of aftershaves are only a quick blast of scent then they dissipate
