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The wonderful excesses of acquisition disorders...and wet shaving
- Thread starter Dagwoodz
- Start date
Quijote said:
Thanks Don! Yeah, Ken decided that the juice wasn't worth the squeeze for their software line, which is a shame, because it's really phenomenal stuff, especially their balm. If you haven't picked any up, I would grab a bottle of the balm before it sells out. The price is pretty hard to beat considering it's performance, and the packaging is top notch too.
Your Stark is absolutely beautiful. And funny thing is Palmolive shave sticks are no where near as good as Arko for me
NurseDave said:
Thanks Dave!
DocHoliday0831 said:
Thank you TJ...Arko isn't a bad performer, in any way, I've just gotten better lathers out of the Palmolive. Both are great budget shave sticks, however!
Smattayu said:
Thanks Eric...it definitely wouldn't be out of place in the kitchen!
Mail call today!
The latest Chatillon Lux/Declaration Grooming collaboration, Santal Auster arrived today. I opted for the post shave salve to pair with it, as I have with all of the other CL/DG soaps previously bar Champs de Lavande. Initial impressions on the scent are a rich sandalwood with a lot more going on. The notes that are listed are pretty extensive, and considering previous releases, this promises to be a unique experience.
Notes as listed: "oud, amyris, styrax, patchouli, and castoreum combine with fresh cut sandalwood to bring you aroma."
This is also a new soap formulation for them, taking their already stellar bison tallow soap and adding lamb tallow, goat milk, colloidal oatmeal, tussah silk, and tetrasodium EDTA (for hard water). It's supposed to be a harder soap than the normal formula, with additional antioxidants and emollients (the oatmeal), with a smoother texture. I'm looking forward to giving it a run out sometime soon. The packaging it came in is wonderful as well, with a clean look to the labeling. I'm planning on picking up the Extrait de Parfum to pair with it, as I've held off until I had the chance to smell what I was getting myself into. Price point was a bit higher than their previous releases, due, I'm guessing, to the new formulation and the cost of the fragrance. Not sure if it's worth it in the end, but if the lather is better than their original formula, (how, I don't know), then for me the cost would be justified.
Nice mail call. Good shave as well.
Smattayu said:
I've been eyeing the Declaration brushes as well, but he hasn't had any in stock for quite a while. I'm not to crazy about the price, but from everything I've read, they're every bit as nice a knot, if not nicer, than the Paladin brushes.
So, I did do a (comparative) test lather yesterday against Bon Vivant (bison tallow base), and the lather themselves I couldn't tell too much difference in slickness, volume, cushion, etc...but the post shave was drastically different. I lathered each up on one side of the face, right side Bon Vivant and left side Santal Auster. 5 minutes after rinsing off, the side I had the Santal Auster was much more moisturized....shockingly so. Not to say that the right side of my face was dried out, far from it. But the left side felt like I had put a moisturizing lotion on...and felt ultra clean. Was it worth the extra $2 an oz? Probably not, to be brutally honest. But if they do release one in a scent that you can not do without, it might be worth having in the den if budget allows.Cvargo said:
Quijote said:
Thanks Don!
DocHoliday0831 said:
Thank you TJ!
Saturday, 24 March, 2018
Declaration Grooming TSM Fougere | C.V. Heljestrand Mk*31 (1[sup]st[/sup] born)
Currently on Shave #473 | Straight shave #282
With the continuing theme of fougere week, Declaration Grooming’s TSM Fougere is up next. This is one of their Chantillon Lux collaborations, and it’s quite a different take on the fougere scent profile. I’ve yet to smell SCS’s Fairway, but if there’s any soap that I’ve smelled that reminds me of wet grass, it’s this. Not necessarily fresh cut grass…it’s got a dark quality to the scent that is quite different to any fougere I’ve smelled to date. It’s almost pungent in its opening, like a subdued vetiver. But there’s something there that calms it down so it doesn’t have quite as biting an opening as something like Fine Fresh/Green Vetiver, Tom Ford’s Grey Vetiver, or Guerlain Vetiver. The lavender in the opening, typically one of the primary top notes in fougeres, definitely takes a backseat to the green scent, though I’m pretty sure the lavender is what keeps it toned down and not as sharp as typical vetiver scents.
A soap of this quality definitely deserves respect, and what better respect can you give a soap than to use a razor that at any given time is ready to take liberal amounts of epidermis off of your face for failing to pay it the requisite attention? Filling this role is my first Swedish lady, dubbed 1[sup]st[/sup] born, the C.V. Heljestrand Mk*31. Now, I love all of my razors, each for what they are and on their own merits. But this is one that could very well be my desert island straight. It’s a breeze to handle, holds a phenomenal edge, (as do most Swedish steel beauties), and is just downright efficient as a shaver. It’s not that hard on the eyes, either.
Unfortunately, I was a little pressed for time, and while the first two passes went just fine, getting into some of my problem areas was…a little haphazard. I should have just grabbed the ‘jectah for the moustache area, but didn’t. I ended up with three spots of red, just weepers from too much pressure, but all good. The shave itself only took 11 minutes for three passes and a quick clean up under the chin. Normally it takes around 20. The alum confirmed I had been a tad heavy handed on the ATG pass, and my skin in the moustache area is a little red, but that will tone down within the first hour or so. Note to self…wake up a little earlier next time, doofus.
In one of the other threads, it was mentioned that Grooming Dept. soaps tend to get stringy…and that’s what I saw today with the TSM Fougere. I was a little concerned, but, a bit of work (and a LOT of water) gave up a beautiful lather. I’m going to have to take some pictures to show the progression…it was quite remarkable. I didn’t think I was going to get any volume out of the soap at first, even after a very heavy load. The continued addition of water, more water, and even when the peaks were quickly collapsing, more water still gave up the gold. I will say, this soap does not react too terribly well to heat, as even though I only had temperate water in the scuttle, it still started to break down. Nothing a little face lathering didn’t fix, but it did break down all the same.
Due to the very “vetiver” theme of this fougere, I grabbed Fine’s Fresh Vetiver splash and Guerlain Vetiver in addition to the TSM Fougere salve. It was actually quite closely matched, again the vetiver being a little bit sharper in the opening than the soap. This was also the first time using the salve, and I have to say it’s quite nice. A little goes a long way…I took about a half a pea sized amount out, spreading out in my hands, and rubbed it into my skin. There was a bit of a tacky feel to it for the first 10 minutes, but now, about 40 minutes after the fact, my skin feels silky smooth and moisturized. The areas of irritation are calmed down quite a bit as well. A nice product indeed. Sorry for such a long entry…my fingers got the better of me.
Have a great day everyone!
Declaration Grooming TSM Fougere | C.V. Heljestrand Mk*31 (1[sup]st[/sup] born)
Currently on Shave #473 | Straight shave #282
With the continuing theme of fougere week, Declaration Grooming’s TSM Fougere is up next. This is one of their Chantillon Lux collaborations, and it’s quite a different take on the fougere scent profile. I’ve yet to smell SCS’s Fairway, but if there’s any soap that I’ve smelled that reminds me of wet grass, it’s this. Not necessarily fresh cut grass…it’s got a dark quality to the scent that is quite different to any fougere I’ve smelled to date. It’s almost pungent in its opening, like a subdued vetiver. But there’s something there that calms it down so it doesn’t have quite as biting an opening as something like Fine Fresh/Green Vetiver, Tom Ford’s Grey Vetiver, or Guerlain Vetiver. The lavender in the opening, typically one of the primary top notes in fougeres, definitely takes a backseat to the green scent, though I’m pretty sure the lavender is what keeps it toned down and not as sharp as typical vetiver scents.
A soap of this quality definitely deserves respect, and what better respect can you give a soap than to use a razor that at any given time is ready to take liberal amounts of epidermis off of your face for failing to pay it the requisite attention? Filling this role is my first Swedish lady, dubbed 1[sup]st[/sup] born, the C.V. Heljestrand Mk*31. Now, I love all of my razors, each for what they are and on their own merits. But this is one that could very well be my desert island straight. It’s a breeze to handle, holds a phenomenal edge, (as do most Swedish steel beauties), and is just downright efficient as a shaver. It’s not that hard on the eyes, either.
Unfortunately, I was a little pressed for time, and while the first two passes went just fine, getting into some of my problem areas was…a little haphazard. I should have just grabbed the ‘jectah for the moustache area, but didn’t. I ended up with three spots of red, just weepers from too much pressure, but all good. The shave itself only took 11 minutes for three passes and a quick clean up under the chin. Normally it takes around 20. The alum confirmed I had been a tad heavy handed on the ATG pass, and my skin in the moustache area is a little red, but that will tone down within the first hour or so. Note to self…wake up a little earlier next time, doofus.
In one of the other threads, it was mentioned that Grooming Dept. soaps tend to get stringy…and that’s what I saw today with the TSM Fougere. I was a little concerned, but, a bit of work (and a LOT of water) gave up a beautiful lather. I’m going to have to take some pictures to show the progression…it was quite remarkable. I didn’t think I was going to get any volume out of the soap at first, even after a very heavy load. The continued addition of water, more water, and even when the peaks were quickly collapsing, more water still gave up the gold. I will say, this soap does not react too terribly well to heat, as even though I only had temperate water in the scuttle, it still started to break down. Nothing a little face lathering didn’t fix, but it did break down all the same.
Due to the very “vetiver” theme of this fougere, I grabbed Fine’s Fresh Vetiver splash and Guerlain Vetiver in addition to the TSM Fougere salve. It was actually quite closely matched, again the vetiver being a little bit sharper in the opening than the soap. This was also the first time using the salve, and I have to say it’s quite nice. A little goes a long way…I took about a half a pea sized amount out, spreading out in my hands, and rubbed it into my skin. There was a bit of a tacky feel to it for the first 10 minutes, but now, about 40 minutes after the fact, my skin feels silky smooth and moisturized. The areas of irritation are calmed down quite a bit as well. A nice product indeed. Sorry for such a long entry…my fingers got the better of me.
Have a great day everyone!
Quijote said:
The only reason I knew not to use so much is I did cheat a little last week by using a touch of it on a non-shave day and ended up using a bit too much. Lesson well learned! You wouldn't think a half-pea sized bit would be enough, but it definitely spreads out well. It's every bit as good as the Paladin Balm, IMHO.
Cvargo said:
Thanks Chad. I know SCS's Fairway is one of your favorites. I haven't smelled that soap, but this is a very green scent, reminiscent of damp grass, not the sweet scent of fresh cut grass, as I've heard Fairway described before. It is still a fougere, however, and not a vetiver, though it definitely leans towards that end of the fragrance wheel. It would be worth picking up if you're looking for a DG soap to try out.
