Reddit reviews WSP Luxury Rustic Shaving Soap (Mahogany) 4.4 Oz in Tin Artisan Made in America Using Vegan Natural Ingredients

You can do better for less money shopping on sites other than Amazon, but you can do okay there if you're careful.

For a razor I'd get an Edwin Jagger Kelvin. The Parker 24c is another viable option; I just don't like the way it looks. And if you're the clumsy type, the Merkur 34c is less likely to break if you drop it or knock it off the counter. In terms of shave quality, I'd say Merkur < Edwin Jagger < Parker, but the differences aren't huge. For build quality EJ is a big step above Merkur and Parker.

There are some great synthetic brushes on the market, but AFAIK none of them are available on Amazon. Which means, in your price range, that boar bristles are the only viable option. The Omega 10049 is a big brush that will break in quickly. I actually prefer the small Semogues such as the 1460, but they take a ton of time (or a fair amount of work) to break in.

For shave soap, I really like Pre de Provence. It's a big puck of hard soap, so it'll last you a very long time. Cella is another top performer (far better than, say, Proraso) for an affordable price. I've also heard good things about Soap Commander and Wet Shaving Products' "Rustic" line. Whatever you do, stay away from Col. Conk and Blades Grim.

For blades, just don't. Go to Try a Blade and get a double helping of their top ten sampler. Once you've found your favorite blade, go back to Amazon and see if you can't get a good price on 100 of them.

If there's anything else you need from Amazon, get it and pick up your shave gear elsewhere. For example, the Maggard Razors budget starter kit is outstanding, and is about to get better with the inclusion of their self-branded synthetic brushes. For $40 you can put together a kit that's a step up from the $60 worth of stuff I recommended on Amazon. But if it's gotta be Amazon, you at least have some viable options.

Edited to add final paragraph.

• Wet Shaving Products Rustic Shaving Soaps are quite nice and come in a respectable range of scents.
  
  
• Taylor of Old Bond Street creams are available on Amazon. These aren't exactly top-shelf creams but they are generally quite good for the price and you should give them a shot if you haven't.
  
  
• Pre de Provence shaving soaps and creams are available on Amazon, and they are all pretty good.
  
  
• L'Occitane Cade shaving cream is available on Amazon and it is allegedly really nice stuff. The aftershave balms are also available.
  
  
• Art of Shaving Creams are often sold on Amazon (for less than at the AoS stores) and they are really quite nice. I'm a big fan of the 'Ocean Kelp' shaving cream. Unfortunately I can't find them on Amazon at the moment.
  

Based just on reviews online, I think the new winner for widely available artisan soaps is WSP. $14 for 125g, ships with Amazon Prime, and seems to be flawless in reviews. Mine's coming in tomorrow so I'll have a more personal sense of it, but this might be the one I tell newcomers to get.

Here are a few good options from Amazon. Most of these are available for cheaper from dedicated wet shaving shops.

• Arko 2-Pack
  
• Mitchell's Wool Fat
  
• WSP Rustic Soap
  
• Tabac
  
• Palmolive Stick
  
  Also, any D.R. Harris soap or cream, and any TOBS cream would be a good choice.
  
  Edit: Also, Kiss My Face Moisture Shave cream is good too and available on Amazon. It says it's non-lathering, but it lathers really well with a brush.