Posted September 8, 2005
A staple of men's magazines, particularly in the fall, when editors have lots of pages to fill: lame articles on how to get a better shave. They basically never have anything new to say, and they usually push the same old products, or new variations on old products. But for a change, somebody's finally had an actual new idea about how to shave better: Smart Shave, developed right here in New York by dermatologist and TriBeCa Skin Science founder Dr. Sherwin Parikh, is a three-part system that cleverly starts with the use of heavy-duty exfoliating pads to lift stubble and cleanse skin with a combination of alphahydroxy acid and witch hazel; a dose of liquid aspirin is also blended in to reduce inflammation. Smart Shave's pads make proper skin prep in the morning—while still half asleep—mindlessly simple. Steps 2 and 3 (the shaving cream and calming balm) are less revolutionary, but they do have special antibacterial properties to stave off razor burn and bumps.

$34 for the three-step system at smartshave.com.

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• From the September 8, 2005 issue of New York