Hullo Blue Princes—one last time from way out east. We are in the homestretch of this two-month excursion through South Korea and Japan.

What’s my biggest takeaway after receiving 21 massages in the first 8 weeks of 2025? I need to loosen up, big time. After every single treatment, each masseuse will whisper (almost apologetically) “you have really tight muscles in your neck, shoulders, and back...” Even after 21 of them, I’m stiff as a board. Needless to say, I’ll be re-starting yoga when I get back into a routine in April. Sigh!

After I last wrote from Nikko, we got a ton of snow at high altitudes. It made for perfect forest trekking conditions and open-air onsen dips. No photos of the nudie soaks, soz, but here’s a gem of me falling backwards on the fresh powder in my snowshoes, which happened half a dozen times.

I loved this different take on the forest baths though, having previously experienced total verdancy in Jeju and Yakushima.

We’re currently at the ryokan-inspired Hoshinoya Tokyo, our second-to-last property visit. I intend to hit the rooftop onsen as soon as I click “schedule send” on this newsletter, so let’s get to the goods:

New YouTube Video: 10 Editor-Approved Colognes

We just posted a new fragrance video on YouTube, for which I summoned the help of four other grooming editors. They each chose two standout colognes across niche + mass market, and I added two picks of my own. Give it a watch to find a new scent for yourself—or to see which of us has the best taste. (Obviously me!)

Thanks to these dears for helping out: Brennan Kilbane (BoF, Air Mail), Sarah Y. Wu (Allure, Glamour, Marie Claire), Garrett Munce (Esquire, Men’s Health), and Justin Fenner (Robb Report).

New and Noteworthy: Harry’s, Suave, Murad, and GAMA

Harry’s Anti-Shine Stick: Swipe this across your T-Zone, cheeks, bald dome, or anywhere prone to eye-catching oil buildup. It’ll leave you matte and is a great base layer for coverup of any blemishes, too—if you have an issue with your concealer lasting all day over any redness or dark patches.

Murad’s Myriad SPF + Treatments Launches: High-performance brand Murad has been launching things left and right lately, which is good news for all of us. Most notably, they recently rolled out some Cellular Hydration + Repair oil drops (soothing, smoothing, hydrating, strengthening), as well as antioxidant-rich Retinol Youth Renewal oil drops. PLUS, a quartet of SPF moisturizers that target different needs: One each for firming, hydrating, mattifying (pore minimizing too), and brightening. So, choose your UV fighter from that roster.

GA.MA‘s Eggo Body Trimmer: GAMA deserves mass-market name recognition with consumers in the hair trimming and styling game; I know some big-time celeb groomers who swear by the label for their A-list clients (esp hair dryers and clippers). And now GAMA got you covered head to toe, with this everywhere body trimmer. It holds an hourlong charge and has four graduation guards: 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5mm.

Suave Stylers: Yes, Suave. The drugstore brand was ubiquitous in the first half of my life; I think it was virtually the only brand I used to wash and condition my hair until my early 20s, lol… Suave has been independent in the US since 2023, having been dropped by Unilever after 27 years of ownership. And as an indie, they continue to roll out affordable men’s products, including this new “Barber Essentials” hair styling trio, each just $7:

• Defining Cream: medium hold, low shine; texture and definition

• Matte Pomade: light/flexible hold, matte finish; smooth frizz control, soft shaping

• Styling Gel: strong hold, low shine. For a flake-free grip.

Le Labo Eucalyptus 20 followup: I was able to get in a Tokyo Le Labo shop this week to sniff out the new Eucalyptus 20 EDP—and it’s an adamant YES from me, dawg. The eucalyptus felt light in this one (only said matter of fact, as much as I love eucalyptus); I got more leather, musk, and resin… which really suit the description of the scent—vastness, deserts, tumbleweeds… and an oasis therein. Mmmm! Can’t wait to claim my bottle soon.

My Nutrafol Review for GQ: Does this stuff actually work?

Nutrafol is one of the brands I get asked about most often, in terms of my opinion and whether or not “it works”. You can read this review I put up on GQ this past week, walking through their SKUs that are most worthy of consideration. And I’ll surely dedicate something to them on Blue Print’s YouTube in time (and maybe hair loss supplements in general)—but I’ll share my Nutrafol opinion here too.

First, up front: I do like this brand, a lot. I think they “work”, based off the money they put into their own research, as well as independent clinical studies regarding some of their key ingredients (like saw palmetto), and the sheer volume of fans they have. Nutrafol is one of Amazon’s best-selling grooming brands for a reason: On the men’s side, those hair pills are beloved by millions. (Though, if you want to shop economically, get them from Nutrafol in 6-month batches to bring the cost down to $70 per month from $88.)

I DIGRESS.

I always look at hair loss supplements as exactly that: supplements. Regardless of the brand, they should take a back seat to clinical solutions like minoxidil and finasteride. You can also read my entire take on men’s hair supplements, and the hair retention methods that work. I have only ever used Nutrafol alongside other efforts—as should you—so I can’t speak to the as a standalone solution, nor would I suggest it.

I tend to self supplement with multivitamins, saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil, and ashwagandha—just aiming for the broadest range of nutrients, a doubling-down on DHT, plus anti-inflammation. I am traveling with a Nutrafol supply now, for what it’s worth. I was able to call in a 3-month dosage for this Q1 trip we’re on, so that I could streamline my packing, too. See, it can get tedious managing 4-5 different supplements each day, plus it can become nearly as expensive as Nutrafol itself if you aren’t buying your supplements in bulk. Furthermore, it’s hard to trust any ol’ supplement seller; it could be snake oil if you’re buying from a shady source or random Amazon seller.

So, that is why I like to suggest Nutrafol to anyone whose budget allows. (No this isn’t sponsored, either.) Look, they’re really expensive. It feels silly to have a supplement that is 3-15 times more costly than your actual clinical hair retention medicines. BUT, if you do want to put your money into a trusthworthy place, and if you aren’t relying on these pills as your sole line of defense against hair loss (again PLEASE do not do that)… then yeah, they’re a real smart choice, in my opinion.

I know a bunch of doctors who think it’s alllll smoke and mirrors—not just Nutrafol, but hair supplements in general. On the other hand, I think you’d be stupid not to at least put in some supplemental effort to your heavy-hitting hair retention efforts. (Again, my supplement article outlines my approach.)

Okie dokie y’all. That’s a wrap this week. I’m gonna so sit my tush in an onsen and savor these last nights in Japan.

Please forward this to a pal who might like to read some grooming schtuff every week, and win some great grooming goods, too!

OH—one more thing: Wishing a very happy (early) birthday to my boo André, who is every bit as precious and radiant as when we met in 2019. Thanks for the levity you bring to our lives, darling, and for working on Blue Print alongside me every day, including this quiet Sunday in Tokyo.