Author Topic: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)  (Read 741865 times)

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2025 on: March 05, 2018, 07:47:13 PM »
Mickey Lee Soapworks - Réunion
Rubberset 200-4 | Omega Boar
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE



Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2026 on: March 08, 2018, 01:51:21 PM »
Barrister and Mann - Roam (2016)
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian   
Radio 1912 | Gem PTFE
Barrister and Mann - Roam EdT (2018)



I documented my impressions of the famed (infamous) ROAM a couple years ago.  To say that this fragrance is polarizing is an understatement.  It would seem to be that Roam is not an acquired taste, either.  You either like it upon first use, or you loathe it.  I've not encountered many that grew to tolerate it, and I've certainly never heard of a detractor growing to love it. It should be obvious that I'm in the "love it" camp.  In fact, I've been using my 2016 tubs sparingly, with the assumption that Roam would never see another release.  Today, I just cracked open my last 2016 tub, and I added to it the scant remainder of the previous tub.  This morning, I used this with abandon, given that Roam now has a 2018 release, and I'm therefore well-stocked.  Using roughly a tub per year, I can say with confidence that the scent does in fact transform a bit over time.  It doesn't seem to lose any punch, mind you, but it mellows and the earthiness makes an earlier showing and lingers for a bit longer.  Off the aged puck, the sharp, almost unsettling smoky tobacco is no longer jarring.  To ensure it wasn't just familiarity dictating this assessment, I compared my two year-old tub to the 2018 and my assessment stands.  Regardless, puck impressions are unreliable at best.  To my nose, lathered Roam is never off-putting.  It is unique.  While there are many soaps with the same leather, earth, tobacco, and grass profile, there's not a single soap in my arsenal that even approaches its likeness. I intentionally omitted the documented "thyme" note because I've never detected it, while fully understanding it likely influences the accord.  While the earth in Roam is damp, the tobacco is cured and dry, teetering on dusty.  I've never smoked cigarettes, but there is a transient essence of an unlit cigarette that is reminiscent of a fresh pack of my late father's smokes.  I will note this is nothing like the dankness of that of an actual burning cigarette.  The damp earth doesn't start off damp, but rather transitions from a dry, sun-baked, cracked iron ore, then a brief slick red clay, before settling into a more herbaceous and grassy damp earth.  The leather starts off worn.  This is not nubuck or rawhide but much closer to earth-caked boots or saddle leather.  I have the Kyovu as well as the Tonique, and I much prefer the Tonique.  The Kyovu seems to carry a maple and caramel note that blends with the smoke to suggest maple-cured bacon---pleasant, but it takes me out of the whole Roam experience, if you will.  The splash seems to be the more realized interpretation of the original creation, and it has amazing staying power.  In addition to the soap's aforementioned notes, the splash does the same but with more intensity.  I also consistently detect a salty presence during the protracted dry-down which ends up being about 6 hours from my two year-old bottle.

Almost as a big FU to the detractors, the 2018 release introduces for the first time a Roam EdT.  I used this today and 8 hours out, it maintains a bold presence (one-pump to my solar plexus).  I just picked up one bottle of the EdT, but given the reasonable price, I may yet pick up more.

In the early days of Roam, there was much dissention.  Frankly, it was before its time.  In current times, I like to think the community has matured enough and has been exposed to enough fringe fragrances that it's learned to simply pass on fragrances that aren't for them without disparaging the ones that do or the artisans' for that matter. 

Barrister and Mann is pulling out the stops for their 5th anniversary.  Here's to hoping there are many more anniversaries to come.

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2027 on: March 10, 2018, 09:40:49 AM »
Barrister and Mann - 42
Wolf Whiskers | Raptor | Black Wolf
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE


Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2028 on: March 13, 2018, 04:34:08 AM »
Saponificio Varesino - Manna di Sicilia
Island Bladeworks "Bullwinkle" | TGN Finest   
Radio 1912 | Gem PTFE
Chatillon Lux - Unconditional Surrender



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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2029 on: March 17, 2018, 07:55:37 PM »
Declaration Grooming + Chatillon Lux Parfums | Santal Auster
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE
Chatillon Lux Parfums | Santal Auster Parfum Extrait



I'm often perplexed when an artisan decides to introduce a new soap base when their current base is already performing at a very high level. I'm cautious to overstate this for concerns of being labeled a fan boy, but the new base from Declaration Grooming, named Icarus, is on a whole other level.  I dare say this could be a leader board changer.

Declaration warned about potential "gaminess" from the base due to the combination of goat's milk and lamb tallow in addition to the bison tallow.  To remedy this, it was recommended the puck be permitted to breath a bit prior to trying to get a fragrance assessment.  I took a whiff right off the freshly opened tub, and I could barely detect any animalic notes.  I suspect that if I hadn't been forewarned about it, I wouldn't have even detected that.  Instead, I was met with a very pleasant soft warm sandalwood.

The temperature here in East Texas was around 80°F, and it only had about 2 hours to cool off in the house before I used it.  I can't say the firmness of the soap is much different than their other base, but it did retract a tiny bit in the tub.

I loaded with a moderately damp badger knot, and there were no surprises.  It was easy and intuitive as I felt the weight of the knot increase and the tug against the surface of the soap as I achieved max capacity.  I do miss the marshmallow cream/stringiness of the prior base's protolather, but Icarus loads in a more traditional manner.

I scalp-lathered, testing the water range with my usual hard water.  A usable lather was quickly forthcoming.  I have sensitive skin and tend to get brush burn if I do much scrubbing with a badger knot, so my method involves brief scrubbing to bring in the air, but most of the lather building is done with painting and slapping.  Despite a quick usable lather, I wanted to test the water limits of this new base.  Ultimately, I couldn't find it---the limit, that is.  More water just brought more lather.  I ended up using enough water that would have killed most of my other soaps with the one exception being Barrister's Reserve.

Heavily watered Icarus yielded a dense paintable base with a light sheen, but not iridescent.  The elite-status slickness was immediately apparent with the first swipe of the blade.  Again, I'm reservedly stating this, but I may not have another soap that is as slick as this.  There are certainly none in my den that surpass it.  My feelings about the residual slickness are the same.  There are absolutely no concerns about revisiting areas that are devoid of visible lather.

After just one pass, I was able to determine that the post-shave was going to excel as well.  My skin already felt soft and supple.  I completed a 2-pass plus touch-up head and face shave, and as per my usual routine when assessing a new soap, I smeared the pulled lather on my scalp and face and left it while I cleaned up my gear.  There were no ill effects from the prolonged exposure, and my skin felt perfect.  Despite the outstanding residual slickness, the final rinse was clean and easy.  The post shave was reminiscent of that provided by Catie's Bubbles' Luxury line.  A post product was completely unnecessary, but I enjoy the process, just the same, so I applied an aftershave.

Chatillon Lux Parfums' sandalwood fragrance for both the soap and the splash is quite pleasant in an elegant simple fashion.  This is a singular sandalwood note, and in terms of sandalwood, it's anything but single-faceted.  This sandalwood smells quite natural, and it's a rather forward fragrance but not choke-a-mule (or goat, in this case) TOBS-strong.  With the initial application of the splash, I experienced a brief flash of sulfite scent followed by the same sandalwood I detected in the soap.

I can't speak to the longevity of the splash's scent, because I immediately layered on top a single pump of the simply outstanding Santal Auster extrait from Chatillon Lux Parfums.  I've only been wearing it for 3 hours, now, so I can't provide an exhaustive assessment, but this is sandalwood on steroids.  Santal Auster is a lovely, elegant, and classic fragrance with the expected creamy, and faintly powdery sandalwood, but much, much more. The unassuming, almost singular creamy woody note, swells within an hour and becomes more complex, giving way to a controlled resinous accord.  As I write this, a muskiness sidles in, revealing a sultriness I was not expecting.

It should come as no surprise that when Declaration Grooming and Chatillon Lux collaborate, good things happen.  However, with this release, I believe they've achieved new heights with each of the artisans having flexed their respective creative muscles, thereby turning out two products that have far exceeded my expectations.

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2030 on: March 20, 2018, 05:05:23 AM »
Declaration Grooming + Chatillon Lux Parfums | Santal Auster
Kent V8   
Radio 1912 | Gem PTFE
Chatillon Lux Parfums | Santal Auster Parfum Extrait



Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2031 on: March 22, 2018, 06:13:48 AM »
322 Day
Catie's Bubbles - 322
DrivenLegend Red & Black | APShaveCo Tuxedo 30mm
Ever-Ready 1912 | Delta Echo | Gem PTFE



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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2032 on: March 24, 2018, 03:46:47 PM »
Ariana & Evans - NYC
Wolf Whiskers | Raptor | Black Wolf
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE
Wholly Kaw - Fougère Bouquet


Finally!  Ever since Peter perfected his tallow goat's milk and lanolin soap base, I've been craving a release in a fragrance that I like.  As one of the testers for his debut soap base, I was privileged to receive "Asian Plum" for my trouble.  Not unexpectedly, it just wasn't for me, and I passed it on.  I was quite willing to wait for a release more in line with my tastes, but the artisan wasn't having it.  Instead, he kindly hooked me up with an advance release of "NYC", a fearless, yet elegant fougère.
   
The performance of this soap base is beyond reproach, placing it among my favorite artisanal soap bases.  In fact, it really needs an establishing code name to further validate it among the others.  All kidding aside, this soft-ish soap loads easily from the tub with a damp brush, but it's not so soft as to cause concern for digging out hunks or accidental overloading.  Undeterred by my hard water, it has a fairly wide water tolerance range.  Face lathering (scalp lathering, in my case) is easy, and a usable lather is quickly forthcoming, but introducing a moderate amount of water showcases the real performance chops of this soap.  The lather is creamy and dense with an iridescent sheen.  First-pass glide is effortless, and the residual slickness easily holds up against the most elite artisanal soaps that I routinely use.  The post-shave feel is also exemplary.

With the exception of Declaration Grooming's new Icarus base having recently assumed the mantle as my benchmark soap, I've given up on trying to rank soaps in a meticulous manner such as naming them second and third place. Ultimately, there are about six soap bases that, while all of them are on the same performance level, each of them does it by shining in different aspects without failing in the others.  This soap base is among these top-performing soaps.  I don't know how this crowded group impacts the individual artisans' bottom lines, but I do know as wet shavers, there's no reason to use anything other than a luxury performance soap.  I remember a time when that level of performance meant paying upwards of $70 USD to import a soap---a hurdle that's completely unnecessary in the current climate.  Now, we're left up to subjective aspects such as fragrance and even packaging.

In terms of that subjective fragrance, NYC is a winner for me.  Off the dry tub, I detected tangerine and something close to tomato leaf or green pepper.  This is certainly not what I experienced as soon as the damp brush began stirring up the fragrance in the shower.  NYC opened with a rather sharp and bold bergamot and woody lavender.  Despite the perplexing green pepper off the dry tub (not the way to assess a soap's real fragrance), this is one of the least herbaceous fougères I've used.  This sharp--approaching bitter---citrus gave way to woody lavender about midway through the first pass. Progressing from there, the fragrance became more woody and slightly darker as the characteristics shifted from sharp to slightly creamy, and finally a very subtle powder which prevented this darkening from becoming bleak.  This is very much a wearable fragrance, so it's my hope Peter offers at least a matching splash.  As it was, I'd already chosen Wholly Kaw's Fougère Bouquet as a finisher.  I'm a fan of Fougère Bouquet, but the floral component completely dumped the masculine fougère vibe I was getting from NYC.  Until there's a proper pairing, I think Chatillon Lux's TSM Fougère would have worked better, and to a lesser extent even some artisans' interpretation of Drakkar Noir would suffice in a pinch.

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2033 on: March 26, 2018, 08:54:21 PM »
Catie's Bubbles - Dusk
BSB-Ti | HMW Extra Dense
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE



If you try to assess "Dusk" off the tub, your olfactories will likely be overwhelmed with the unnatural sweetness that ensues.  Once lathered, you'll come to realize the placement of said sweetness as it comes to order and is more easily identified as honey and cured tobacco. While it's yet forward, fortunately, the honey backs off fairly early in the shave, thereby revealing a more accurate hay fragrance.  You might not initially think coumarin in this case, as the honey alters it beyond that.  This is not just your average airy dry straw.  Believe it or not, hay can be quite specific, and having grown up in this environment, this accord strummed the memory of sun-baked alfalfa baled with a good amount of incidental clover.  The sweetened nature of the tobacco and honey furthers that image by approximating the molasses and oats "sweet feed" that often accompanied the hay.  I doubt this was the artisan's intended vision, but memory prevails.  Regardless, this blends with the honey very well presumably with the insinuation of clover.  The splash is the same accord, but as expected a bit crisper and perhaps a nonspecific spice invades a few minutes after applying and the fragrance gets warmer henceforth.  After about an hour, Dusk settles and softens with tobacco and distant hay.  Dusk is not quite what I expected in that I didn't anticipate this particular image, but it's pleasant just the same, and aptly named.

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2034 on: March 28, 2018, 09:04:48 PM »
Catie's Bubbles - A Midnight Dreary
Zenith XXL Manchurian
Ever-Ready 1912 | Delta Echo | Gem PTFE



I was drawn to "A Midnight Dreary" by the name alone.  Any Poe reference gets my attention, and I assume there will be some alluring darkness to be had from said fragrance.  This isn't a new offering from Catie's Bubbles, but one that's eluded me for a while in that when I casually shop their site, the set's been unavailable.  The timing was apparently right last week when I dropped by to order "Dusk" (an outstanding set that I used earlier this week), AMD was again available.  Not being much into florals or sweet fragrances, I still hesitated, but the inclusion of sandalwood, amber, and vetiver gave me hope that this fragrance would be to my liking.  It was only after placing my order that I discovered this was an homage to Tom Ford's Black Orchid EdP.  Not having a clue about Black Orchid, I was unfazed.  That was until I read up on it and discovered it was at least at one point marketed as a women's fragrance.  At that point, I'd resigned myself to begrudgingly giving it a chance, but then probably passing it on.

As soon as the warm, damp knot encounters "A Midnight Dreary", sweet, but dark florals pour in.  Not a deal breaker.  This is initially sweeter than my tastes as far as a wearable fragrance, but definitely something with which I want more time to explore. This semisweet floral accord persists at this state throughout the leisurely lathering process.  I drag my feet a bit, because of the surprisingly seductive nature of the fragrance.  As the shave progresses, it descends into darkness as a rich merlot swells to the musty gnarled rafters.  The overall accord gets richer and thicker with overripe fruit countered by eerie musky and resinous notes.  The shave is over far too soon.
   
Fortunately the paired splash unfolds similarly, but it rushes past the sweet florals and moves right to the dry red wine.  I'll have to revisit the soap to see if I missed it, but a hint baker's cocoa seems to briefly make a showing.  On this rainy cool day, AMD only lasted about 4-5 hours, but the last couple hours were very nice warm rich notes suggesting smoldering incense and finally labdanum and vanilla.

A Midnight Dreary took me off guard.  On paper, this one shouldn't be in my wheelhouse, but it's just dark and bloody enough that I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I have been guilty of judging a book by its cover, but henceforth? Nevermore.

Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2035 on: March 31, 2018, 03:43:33 PM »
Declaration Grooming + Chatillon Lux Parfums | Santal Auster
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE
Chatillon Lux Parfums | Santal Auster Parfum Extrait



Offline 120inna55

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2036 on: April 05, 2018, 04:44:02 AM »
Catie's Bubbles - 322
DrivenLegend Red & Black | APShaveCo Tuxedo 30mm
Ever-Ready 1912 | Delta Echo | Gem PTFE



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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2037 on: April 07, 2018, 08:38:14 AM »


Barrister and Mann - Petrichor
Ever-Ready 100T | Elite Razor Manchurian
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE



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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2038 on: April 08, 2018, 09:25:39 AM »
Talbot Shaving - Howick Hall
Phoenix Shaving - The Green Ray | Tribble Synthetic
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE
Jeeves of Hudson Street - Black Tea Aftershave



Since early days of Escali failure, I've learned to acquire knots from reputable artisans. As a result, I rarely speak my mind regarding knots.  I have a relatively small collection of brushes and knots, and despite having various sizes of badger, boar, and synthetic, my selection for the shave typically condenses down to mood or aesthetic with respect to the accompanying products.  Trivial factors to be sure, but this is because I enjoy each of them, intuitively adapting to whatever quirks a particular knot may exhibit.  It's not a popular stance, but I'm even less concerned with shape.  I picked up The Green Ray because of the aesthetic and its nod to retro.  I really didn't give the "Tribble Synthetic Hybrid" knot a second thought.  However, after using this brush for the first time, I'm compelled to talk about it.

Previously, I tended to gravitate to larger knots because I'm a head and face shaver.  I've come to realize, there's no shame in going back to the puck to reload when transitioning from my 2+ passes from my face to my head.  The Tribble Hybrid is one of the few 24 mm knots that I didn't have to revisit the tub.  It held, and more importantly, liberally dispensed enough lather for a 2+ pass head and face shave.  The loading was intuitive with an easy but controlled splay.  Additionally, while the handle is short enough to facilitate buttressing the fibers with my fingers, the backbone was such that this was unnecessary despite the generous 57 mm loft.  The face lather was very comfortable with a softness reminiscent of my 24 mm "Black Wolf" from Wolf Whiskers, but the Tribble felt considerably larger on my face (a key difference between bulb and fan).  I was able to splay-scrub and build a face lather with ease, but then painting was equally intuitive with zero floppiness.

The dark mahogany color of the knot works quite well aesthetically with the green and faux patina of the handle, but I would love to see this knot available in jet black for other purposes.  Ultimately, The Green Ray was somewhat of an impulse buy based solely on aesthetic, and the $12.95 USD price tag made that an easy decision.  After using it, however, I can see this knot being more widely used and favored, especially if offered in other colors.

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Re: SAFETY Razor Shave of the Day (SOTD)
« Reply #2039 on: April 10, 2018, 07:09:58 PM »
Tallow + Steel | Shag
Phoenix Shaving - The Green Ray | Tribble Synthetic
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE