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#1875 by gwsmallwood on 26 Apr, 2017 10:28
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Been a while, but I had to post my first SOTD with my new Wild West Brush Works Tuxedo.
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#1876 by 120inna55 on 26 Apr, 2017 20:15
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L&L Grooming / Chatillon Lux "Unconditional Surrender"
Wolf Whiskers | Raptor | Black Wolf
Ever-Ready 1912 | Delta Echo | Gem PTFE (1)
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#1877 by 120inna55 on 28 Apr, 2017 05:12
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Catie's Bubbles / Carnavis & Richardson "Porch Drinks"
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)
Chatillon Lux / Carnavis & Richardson "Les Boissons sur le Porche"
So, the story is that some very talented artisans got together over drinks, and "Porch Drinks" is what distilled out of that encounter. Haphazard as that may sound, the result is anything but. As I understand it, the scent profile as proposed by Eighchops was left to the independent interpretation of the separate artisans. As one might expect, their respective interpretations hit all the notes, but are fairly different, complementing each other instead of matching. This is not a bad thing, by any means, but rather a direction I've wanted to see the wet shaving artisan world take for some time.
Off the puck, Catie's Bubbles' soap releases a bold sweet pipe tobacco fragrance, but when the damp knot hits it, orange and spicy cardamom steps up front. I can't explain it, but despite the orange notes, it never attains citrus status to my nose. Instead, as the shave progressed, it mellowed and almost smoldered without being smoky and then gently introduced an understated coffee note. Bourbon was late to the scene, and intermittent until the end of the shave. I've lauded the performance of Catie's Bubbles at length in the past, so I'll just stipulate here that I can't find a mark against it.
The complementary alcohol splash courtesy of Chatillon Lux uses the same paint, but creates a different picture. Blood orange is the dominant initial scent but it almost relents to the bourbon for a good 20 minutes or so. At this point, the fragrance stabilizes to a very pleasant pipe tobacco. Again, the performance of Chatillon Lux's alcohol splash is beyond reproach providing a bracing sear and silky smooth finish.
Needless to say, I'm quite pleased with this set. In fact I may be enamored with it, which is why I'm compelled speak my mind about its 3 glaring detractions. First off, I don't like the fact that the soap is only 2 oz. It's in the usual Catie's Bubbles 4 oz. jars, but only half full. There was no deception, mind you, because it is clearly labeled as having 2 oz. I still think it should be 4 oz. Secondly, the splash needs to have the upgraded Chatillon Lux jars and labels. This presentation is akin to drinking a single-malt scotch from a Dixie cup. And finally, if the aforementioned changes are implemented, this set deserves a permanent offering. I really don't see the point in limiting this release. I know, I have no idea what's involved, but frankly, I don't care. It's Carnavis & Richardson, Catie's Bubbles, and Chatillon Lux doing a tobacco/bourbon/coffee offering---in what world does that not sell?
I'm feeling a little punchy tonight. It's probably the rye. G'nite, gentlemen. -
#1878 by 120inna55 on 29 Apr, 2017 20:56
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Wholly Kaw - Fougère Bouquet SE
Island Bladeworks "Bullwinkle" | TGN Finest
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)
This "Special Edition" Fougère Bouquet utilizes Wholly Kaw's tallow base with ass milk. It's certainly an upgrade from their already outstanding base. With my hard water, this lathered up very quickly, but forget about attaining a meringue-like "Hollywood" lather. Instead, thick, dense cream was the reward for a moderate amount of water. Compared to Wholly Kaw's current tallow base, slickness was dramatically increased, and post-shave easily rivals that of Nuàvia (at a fraction of the cost).
The alteration of the base did not reshape the beautiful fragrance of Fougère Bouquet. The elegant, but lively, sweet and spicy fougère is perfectly intact, starting off with floral notes and unfolding into damp green notes and finally gentle musk and oakmoss as the shave progresses. The splash perfectly matches the soap's fragrance with a little more of a floral push, but remaining steadfast as a spicy fougère.
If you missed out on this special edition, there's no reason to skip on the stock Fougère Bouquet sans the ass milk, as it's a spectacular performer in its own right. If you want to try this ass milk base in another fragrance, "Monoco Royale" utilizes it natively.
I haven't heard of Wholly Kaw's plans, but I would expect some of their other offerings will eventually be elevated with this base. My vote for next on the list is Cuero Oscuro, a leather lover's essential. -
#1879 by 120inna55 on 02 May, 2017 20:21
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Tallow + Steel "Shag"
BSB-Ti | HMW Extra Dense
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)
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#1880 by gwsmallwood on 03 May, 2017 11:22
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Arizona SOTD
Wild West Brush Works Cashmere Sparky brush
Delta Echo Sun Devil Slim
PAA Malbolge
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#1881 by 120inna55 on 05 May, 2017 06:10
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Movie Night SOTD
Catie's Bubbles - Black Bergamot
DrivenLegend Red & Black | APShaveCo Tuxexo 30mm
Ever-Ready 1912 | Delta Echo | Gem PTFE (1)
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#1882 by 120inna55 on 06 May, 2017 17:28
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Mickey Lee Soapworks - Réunion
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)
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#1883 by 120inna55 on 09 May, 2017 19:25
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Chiseled Face Groomatorium - Rhinoceros
Island Bladeworks "Bullwinkle" | TGN Finest
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)
Homemade Splash w/ Rhinoceros EdP
Zoologist Rhinoceros EdP
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#1884 by 120inna55 on 12 May, 2017 05:49
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Movie Night SOTD
Soapmakers of Awesometown - Dragon Tallow
BSB-Ti | HMW Extra Dense
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)
Barrister's Reserve - Classic
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#1885 by 120inna55 on 13 May, 2017 18:14
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Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements - CaD
Wolf Whiskers | Raptor | Black Wolf
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)
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#1886 by 120inna55 on 16 May, 2017 05:50
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Van Yulay Soap of the Gods - (Hybrid Hercules) Russian Tea
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)
I've spent some time defending this "Hybrid Hercules" soap base from Van Yulay because those who haven't tried it often write it off as a low quality melt and pour glycerin soap. When in reality, it contains goat milk, clay, kokum, and shea butters (among other skin goodies). Hercules is one of the slickest soaps I own. It loads as easily as a croap despite its being a firm puck, and results in a dense creamy lather. Following the shave, my scalp feels like silk. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I don't reach for it that often because of its rather bland packaging. I'm surprised by it every time I use it, though. -
#1887 by 120inna55 on 19 May, 2017 08:19
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Barrister and Mann - Leviathan
Wolf Whiskers | Raptor | Black Wolf
Ever-Ready 1912 | Delta Echo | Gem PTFE (1)
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#1888 by 120inna55 on 20 May, 2017 18:08
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Mickey Lee Soapworks - Agora Xyrisma
Wolf Whiskers | Raptor | Black Wolf
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE (1)
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#1889 by 120inna55 on 22 May, 2017 19:41
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Jeeves of Hudson Street - Black Tea
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready 1912 | Delta Echo | Gem PTFE (1)
Jeeves of Hudson Street finally released a matching splash for their outstanding "Black Tea" soap. I've been nagging Bryon about the need for this splash ever since I received the soap.
Since I've previously commented on the soap, I'll be brief in reiterating that it's one of the best performers in the business, with the post-shave being its chief attribute. "Black Tea" specifically imparts a mellow, slightly smoky, black tea, but gentle tobacco and citrus fill out the fragrance quite nicely. I was eager to extend this fragrance with a splash, and my persistence paid off.
The performance of the splash is that of your typical alcohol-based aftershave. There's just enough searing to remind you that it's alcohol and this is soon followed by a gentle menthol cooling. The menthol ratio is pleasant and gentle if not downright subtle. In reality, if you require a post product after using Jeeves soap, you did something wrong, but many of us use the alcohol splash for the routine, the sear, the cooling, and the fragrance.
That fragrance is why I'm here. Not surprisingly, the splash has so much more depth than the soap. It opens with an elegant slightly smoky oolong with smoldering cured tobacco. The tobacco is much more evident than what's experienced with the soap such that, by its nature, it almost overtakes the tea. For a good two hours, those two notes shared the stage in a sophisticated manner. The drydown unveils citrus notes of bergamot and very faint lemon before the dried oolong begins to dominate once again. I believe the addition of lemon somehow prevents the bergamot and tea from turning into a singular contrived Earl Grey fragrance but rather allowing the bergamot to stand out a bit, stepping in and out with the tea. This fragrance has so much character that it never gets old. The longevity is about 6-8 hours which I found surprising for this kind of fragrance. I honestly can't do it justice with my description, and not to overstate it, but "Black Tea" is instantly one of my favorite fragrances. Now, I'm off to nag Bryon about making an EdT.