SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)

[120inna55]

Talbot Shaving - Howick Hall
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian   
Radio 1912 | Gem PTFE
Barrister and Mann - Cheshire Aftershave

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[120inna55]

Crown King - Oubliette Synergy SE
Rubberset 200-4 | Omega Boar   
Radio 1912 | Gem PTFE

Oubliette is the official soap/splash of the How To Grow A Mustache G+ group.  While this is the "Special Edition Reboot" version utilizing the throw-back 6 oz. oversized tins and apothecary bottles, it's my understanding they will later be offered in the traditional plastic tubs and glass flask bottles.  I'm apparently a rare wet shaving community whore, equally comfortable in online fora, FaceBook groups, Google+ groups, and Reddit (r/wetshaving and r/wicked_edge).  As a result, I was intrigued to see just what fragrance was chosen to be representative of the HTGAM community.  Throw in "Special Edition" and you've got me.

Oubliette uses the high-butter Crown King base which I've only recently discovered and regret I'd not discovered it sooner.  I've lathered Crown King with badger, synthetic, and now boar.  I can confirm this is one of the easiest soaps to lather in my den.  I was a bit overzealous with the load, given the perfect storm of the wide-mouth tin and the huge Omega knot harvested from the PRO48, so some lather was wasted.  It did contribute to a quick shower head and face shave courtesy of the large coverage from the knot and above average slickness from the soap.  In my previous impressions of this Crown King base, I tentatively placed it among the leaders in the artisan community.  I'm now confident in that assessment.  This is an upper-tier soap in terms of performance.

My only complaint with PAA/Crown King splashes is the inclusion of alum.  Sure there are fans of alum, but it's just unnecessary.  Alum gives me a brief redness that I'd rather do without.  I suppose it is a testament to my enjoyment of the fragrances in that I continue to use them despite this. They do offer balms in most fragrances, but not for Oubliette as best I can tell.

Oubliette sat around for a little over 24 hours before I could use it, but the fragrance from the soap alone filled the spare bedroom.  Off the tin, this is a very pleasant, intoxicating fragrance.  I kept coming back to it, cracking open the tin and taking it in.  While I found this unlathered fragrance was very pleasant, I feared it was going to be too powdery for something I'd wear.  Fortunately, that aspect was much less evident when I lathered it.  Instead, I was met with a clean, cured tobacco and musky floral aroma with suggestions of citrus leaning towards lemon, but far from being lemony.  As the shave progressed, the nature of the fragrance became woody, spicy, and warm.  The musky floral note became more familiar as the documented jasmine.  The splash unfolded in a similar fashion with the tobacco carrying more weight and sustaining while the understated citrus wafted in and out.  Again, the dry down warmed up and took on a spicy, woody ensemble with jasmine remaining in check as to not betray the overall masculine accord.  I hesitate to use the word "barbershop" when describing it because that seems to mean so many different things, but it does come to my mind regardless.  It's probably the faint powder that makes me go there.  The closest fragrance in my den would probably be PannaCrema's Pure2O Damn Fine Shave, whereas Oubliette handles the powder in a more masculine fashion.  I certainly feel that Oubliette is a fragrance for the masses, but it's still quite unique and bold.  It's a good choice to represent a fine group of gentlemen.

[120inna55]

Wholly Kaw - Dance of Agrumes SE
Island Bladeworks "Stoya" | Elite Razor Manchurian   
Radio 1912 | Gem PTFE

[120inna55]

Storybook Soapworks - Hook
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian   
Radio 1912 | Gem PTFE

[120inna55]

Phoenix and Beau - Borealis
Zenith XXL Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE

The stunning albeit controversial artwork featured on Phoenix and Beau's Whitechapel is what initially attracted me to the brand, but the performance is what kept me.  As a result, when I got a glimpse of the seasonal "Borealis", it was a no-brainer.  I love the stark, rich colors contrasted against the black background.

I've seen lackluster reviews of their base, and the only reason I can fathom that is due to the thirst of this soap.  If you've had disappointing results from this base in the past, consider revisiting it with quite a bit more water.  I find this base to perform very similarly to Barrister and Mann's white label with just about the same water requirement.  You'll certainly be rewarded with excellent slickness from the extra water.

There are very few soaps in my den that don't have matching post-shave products.  I know it's a ridiculous stipulation because it's quite rare that a soap's fragrance lingers much longer than the shave, but it's my own weirdness.  Phoenix and Beau has had a placeholder on their site for some time now, teasing at upcoming aftershaves.  I'm ready for them to roll these out. 

The documented scent notes on Borealis are Siberian fir, Scotch pine, frankincense, tangerine, star anise, and allspice.  Prior to actually receiving the soap, I'd considered a few of the splashes in my collection with fir and frankincense notes with which to pair it.  However, upon opening the tub, the decision was easy.  Tallow and Steel's "Boreal" is a very close match.

Borealis opens with bold fir and pine notes filled in by a low key citrus.  The fragrance gets colder and more resinous as the shave progresses.  If I didn't know going in that anise was a component, I wouldn't have detected it.  Instead, I believe it, along with the tangerine, is responsible for the crisp, cold feeling.  The allspice also keeps a back seat to the fir and pine, lending only hints of cinnamon and clove.  This is a nice Winter fragrance that's far from being a novel Christmastime scent.

While not a copy, Tallow and Steel's Boreal pairs quite well with Borealis, trading the cooling anise for minty monarda and the resinous frankincense for the sharp and woody cedarwood. Borealis is the festive brother of the wintery Boreal.  These two were meant for each other.  Other potential pairs in my den could be Barrister and Mann's "Le Grand Chypre" and "First Snow".

[120inna55]

CHRISTmas Eve SOTN
Abbate y La Mantia - Matteo 9,11
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE

[120inna55]

Wholly Kaw - Project Leather (tallow)
Kent V8
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE

I've commented on Wholly Kaw's tallow/ass milk/hops extract base previously, so I'll abridge my comments with respect to performance.  There is simply not a mark against it.  This base is practically flawless with post-shave being its preeminent aspect, and as such firmly holds a place among my favorite artisanal soaps.

I've recently picked up "Merchant of Tobacco" and "Project Leather".  I chose to start with Project Leather because I was in the mood for a leather explosion.  Instead, I got berries.  You read correctly.  Dark, wild berries.  Upon initial lather, I detected a sweet fennel and berry note that I couldn't shake.  It was quite pleasant, but not at all what I was expecting with a name like "Project Leather".  I stopped mid-shave and took a whiff of the matching EdT to confirm that perhaps I didn't receive a mislabeled tub.  The EdT gave the same impression, so on with the shave.  During the face lather, I searched for a leather note, and it was difficult to establish.  Finally, about half-way through the first pass, the berry/fennel note spiced up a bit and declared itself as cardamom with vanilla and bourbon backup.  Leather invaded close behind, but it was more of a nubuck leather fragrance.  Despite the inclusion of oud, the fragrance remained on the brighter end of the spectrum.  Amid the final pass, the leather became more prominent, but cardamom had equal footing.  I used the paired splash and experienced a similar, yet naturally protracted experience.

The following morning, I applied the paired EdT, and again, I initially detected berries and sweet fennel (neither of which are documented or intended notes).  In some ways it was reminiscent of Dr. Jon's "Krampus" sans the anise. It's possible my nose became entrained, because within a few minutes, the berry notes transformed more quickly to spicy cardamom.  Still the leather took some time to make a presence, but once it did (about an hour), it remained well-established throughout.  The most enjoyable part of this ride was the gradual unfolding and building over a period of about 3 to 4 hours with remarkable complexity.  Bourbon and vanilla contributed a warmth and meager sweetness exhibiting a masterfully blended masculine fragrance. Note this is an EdT, and I can still enjoy this fragrance about 5 hours out, now.  At the time of this writing, Project Leather is not available as an EdP.

If you've stuck it out this far, you may yet wonder what I think about Project Leather.  Given its namesake, it both fails to meet, yet exceeds my expectations.  I feel like the name is misleading, but this beautiful fragrance keeps good company with the likes of Wholly Kaw's Fougère Bouquet.  However, if you have your nose set for a leather-forward offering from Wholly Kaw, I highly recommend you look to "Cuero Oscuro", a simply beautiful dark leather fragrance.  Perhaps some day, Cuero Oscuro will get the ass milk/hops treatment and even more importantly its own EdP.

[120inna55]

Ruds Suds - The Dark Side (by Catie's Bubbles)
DrivenLegend Red & Black | APShaveCo Tuxedo 30mm
Ever-Ready 1912 | Delta Echo | Gem PTFE

Ruds Suds: The Dark Side is a collaboration between Jason Rudman and Catie's Bubbles, and when I say collaboration, I mean Ruds dreamed it up and Catie's made it work.  At least that's how I imagine it happened. 

Haitian vetiver detractors need not apply.  Much like Catie's Bubbles' 322, this fragrance epitomizes everything I like about a fragrance, and it virtually personifies darkness.  The comparisons to 322 are inevitable, but where 322 slips in some trashy patchouli, The Dark Side's vetiver is mitigated by dark roasted coffee, injecting a bitterness and hatred at a level not often experienced in a shave soap.  In practice, the Haitian vetiver is the first note both from the tub and when lathered.  The blend is so masterfully done that the bitter black coffee insidiously comes forward before the lather is fully built.  Throughout the shave it's hard to determine where the vetiver ends and the coffee begins.  Then, around mid-shave, a resinous, semi-sweet note gently creeps in without overtaking the vetiver/coffee dual.

The paired splash unfolds in a similar but slightly sharper fashion.  However, the drydown unveils a faintly damp green note I don't recall experiencing in the soap.  While the splash has plenty of punch and staying power, I'd like to see this in an EdP or even an extrait.  As it is, I can still detect the splash---particularly the semi-sweet resinous note---about 4 hours out.

The Dark Side utilizes Catie's Bubbles' Luxury Soap vegan base.  I've sang the praises of this soap base performance extensively in the past, so suffice it to say it's one of my favorites.

Normally, at this time, I would recommend fans of dark fragrances scoop this up, but there were only 16 sets, all of which have been spoken for.  We've seen this before, however, with Porch Drinks and others.  If the demand is there, perhaps the artisan can be convinced to revisit it, but I have no idea what that entails.

[120inna55]

New Year's Eve SOTN
Barrister and Mann - Fougère Gothique
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE

[120inna55]

The Club - Charlatans Traipse
Rubberset 200-4 | Omega Boar
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE

I find your lack of an apostrophe disturbing...There.  Now that that's off my chest...

Charlatans Traipse is an exclusive to The Club members who are also in the Facebook group.  It uses a vegan soap base that's competitive with other upper tier bases, its most notable trait probably being its ease of lather and density.  However, it's no slouch in the slickness and post-shave categories.  If I understand correctly, this is the same base that's used in the vendor's A&E line of soaps (not the creams).

Off the puck, Charlatans Traipse smells of rather bright herbs and new leather with a gentle touch of pipe tobacco.  This a mere glimpse of the true nature of this soap when lathered.  At which point, when the moist knot begins to swirl, the herbaceous notes come alive and are sweetened by the pipe tobacco along with some spiciness and a familiar note akin to vanilla and cherry.  During the paint phase of the lather application, a new leather note takes hold of the accord and all but nullifies the initial sweetness ushering in a glorious but subtle descent.  A brief transition phase of warm and arid dry straw serves the theme of this accord well.  Subsequent passes unveil a darker oily leather that has aged and developed a constrained smokiness without losing its elegance.  Tobacco and leather establish a dominant role towards the end of the shave.

The splash opens a bit differently with a brief burnt caramel note reminiscent of Barrister and Mann's Roam, but the similarities really end there.  As that initial sweetness abates, herbs, tobacco, and smoky leather unfold in a similar fashion as the soap.  As is the case with many paired sets, the accord is expanded in the splash with subtleties and complexities that simply aren't feasible in a soap base.  This is usually the part of my writing in which I nag the artisan for an EdP, but honestly this splash has impressive endurance, and I am still enjoying this elegant fragrance almost 5 hours out, now. 

It's no secret I love leather fragrances, both in singular and complementary aspects.  My list of favorite leather fragrances is growing, but Charlatans Traipse has easily worked its way in there.  If you are drawn to leather and/or tobacco fragrances, you need to pick this up.

[120inna55]

Talbot Shaving - Edison Lake
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE
Chatillon Lux - TSM Fougère Aftershave
Chatillon Lux - Sylva EdT

[120inna55]

Ruds Suds - The Dark Side (by Catie's Bubbles)
DrivenLegend Red & Black | APShaveCo Tuxedo 30mm
Ever-Ready 1912 | Delta Echo | Gem PTFE

[120inna55]

The Club - Tester: Goat Milk & Lanolin, v2 (unscented)
Island Bladeworks "Stoya" | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE
Pinaud Clubman

[120inna55]

Barrister and Mann - First Snow
Island Bladeworks "Bullwinkle" | TGN Finest   
Radio 1912 | Gem PTFE