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The wonderful excesses of acquisition disorders...and wet shaving
- Thread starter Dagwoodz
- Start date
Catching up Josh, Good Reads
Very nice Josh
Tuesday, 3 April, 2018
Declaration Grooming Gratiot League Square | Jernbolaget 12 ½ 4/8”
Currently on Shave #478 | Straight shave #287
So, the fougere theme is done. For the next couple of weeks, it’s going to be about going through the soaps that I’ve gotten over the past 2 months that I have yet to try. I have some other showing up, so this is far from an all-inclusive list, but here is what I have on hand currently to go through:
Declaration Grooming (L-R):
La Quatrieme Ville
Bandwagon
Santal Auster
Bon Vivant
Gratiot League Square
Paladin Shaving: Silk Road
Others I have inbound are:
Wholly Kaw Tempest
Ariana & Evans Grecian Horse
Chiseled Face Santa Paula
Barrister & Mann Eventide
Soon to be inbound:
Saponificio Varesino Opuntia
Ariana & Evans Asian Plum
I’ve heard good things about the Ariana & Evans new formulation. I wanted to try the Asian Plum, but settled for the Grecian Horse as the former was out of stock. If the performance is as good as the reviews state, then I’ll be getting the Asian Plum when it’s back in stock.
So…up first is the Gratiot League Square. I was unsure about this scent when I first got a hold of it, but it’s definitely grown on me since. It does have a tiny bit of sweetness to it, but very much is a smokey, sandalwood and musk scent. Very reminiscent of what I imagine a carpenters shop with a built in smithy would have smelled like back in the 1800’s. All in all, a very nice scent profile that is pretty complex. Performance of this soap is well documented. It must be noted that it is extremely thirsty soap. You really can’t use the “falling peaks” method of determining hydration levels, nor can you use sheen, as it’s a very creamy, shiny soap base once it’s loaded. As such, a mixture of bowl lathering and face lathering brings out the best characteristics of the product.
I paired up the soap with the Stirling 24mm “butterscotch” finest fan. This brush really doesn’t get the credit that it deserves…it really is one of the best values on the market. Of course, it’s not really butterscotch, but instead a creamsicle orange. It was able to maximize the lather from the soap this morning, and gave the Jernbolaget 12 ½ a great base on which to play. This razor is one of the easiest razors to hone, and is absolutely a tiny sports car on the face. Care needs to be taken when using, however, as the square point on it is quite lethal. Three passes and a clean-up with the RR Hawk resulted in a DSBBS(G)…almost zero irritation. One of the best shaves I’ve gotten in a very long time. Unfortunately, while cleaning up, I knocked the razor off the table. The point proved how lethal it was and stuck into the vinyl floor like a javelin. (Thankfully the floors are padded, so the razor will only require a touch up instead of a full reset) Topped off with the matching salve and the Bvlgari The Noir EdT finished off a wonderful shave!
Nothing new on the home front to report…hope everyone is doing well and has a great Tuesday!
Declaration Grooming Gratiot League Square | Jernbolaget 12 ½ 4/8”
Currently on Shave #478 | Straight shave #287
So, the fougere theme is done. For the next couple of weeks, it’s going to be about going through the soaps that I’ve gotten over the past 2 months that I have yet to try. I have some other showing up, so this is far from an all-inclusive list, but here is what I have on hand currently to go through:
Declaration Grooming (L-R):
La Quatrieme Ville
Bandwagon
Santal Auster
Bon Vivant
Gratiot League Square
Paladin Shaving: Silk Road
Others I have inbound are:
Wholly Kaw Tempest
Ariana & Evans Grecian Horse
Chiseled Face Santa Paula
Barrister & Mann Eventide
Soon to be inbound:
Saponificio Varesino Opuntia
Ariana & Evans Asian Plum
I’ve heard good things about the Ariana & Evans new formulation. I wanted to try the Asian Plum, but settled for the Grecian Horse as the former was out of stock. If the performance is as good as the reviews state, then I’ll be getting the Asian Plum when it’s back in stock.
So…up first is the Gratiot League Square. I was unsure about this scent when I first got a hold of it, but it’s definitely grown on me since. It does have a tiny bit of sweetness to it, but very much is a smokey, sandalwood and musk scent. Very reminiscent of what I imagine a carpenters shop with a built in smithy would have smelled like back in the 1800’s. All in all, a very nice scent profile that is pretty complex. Performance of this soap is well documented. It must be noted that it is extremely thirsty soap. You really can’t use the “falling peaks” method of determining hydration levels, nor can you use sheen, as it’s a very creamy, shiny soap base once it’s loaded. As such, a mixture of bowl lathering and face lathering brings out the best characteristics of the product.
I paired up the soap with the Stirling 24mm “butterscotch” finest fan. This brush really doesn’t get the credit that it deserves…it really is one of the best values on the market. Of course, it’s not really butterscotch, but instead a creamsicle orange. It was able to maximize the lather from the soap this morning, and gave the Jernbolaget 12 ½ a great base on which to play. This razor is one of the easiest razors to hone, and is absolutely a tiny sports car on the face. Care needs to be taken when using, however, as the square point on it is quite lethal. Three passes and a clean-up with the RR Hawk resulted in a DSBBS(G)…almost zero irritation. One of the best shaves I’ve gotten in a very long time. Unfortunately, while cleaning up, I knocked the razor off the table. The point proved how lethal it was and stuck into the vinyl floor like a javelin. (Thankfully the floors are padded, so the razor will only require a touch up instead of a full reset) Topped off with the matching salve and the Bvlgari The Noir EdT finished off a wonderful shave!
Nothing new on the home front to report…hope everyone is doing well and has a great Tuesday!
The only one on your list I can speak for is Opuntia. It is very very good stuff!!!
Cvargo said:
Thanks Chad...this is pretty darned enjoyable for sure. The soap for today, for vetiver lovers would be a great addition!
DocHoliday0831 said:
I'm definitely looking forward to getting that in!
clyde72 said:
Yeah...luckily I was wearing my boots so the likelihood that it would have done damage would have been decreased. But lesson learned, and I'll be ensuring that the razors stay away from the edge of the table from here on out.
NurseDave said:
Thanks Dave! I would say it's been a bit overboard, but who am I kidding!
Quijote said:
It's quite nice...though there is a little bit of a sweet note lingering underneath it. I quite enjoyed it.
Majorrich said:
Thanks Rich!
Thursday, 5 April, 2018
Declaration Grooming La Quatrieme Ville | Jerry Stark 7/8” French Point
Currently on Shave #479 | Straight shave #288
Another new soap up for today in Declaration Grooming’s La Quatrieme Ville. Performance has been spoken about before in regards to DG’s bison tallow formula, which is the top performing soap base in the den, as of this writing. Of course, after a test lather of the Project Icarus soap base, I had to alter my ratings and take a half point off the moisturizing quality score for the bison tallow base, as the Project Icarus is indeed better. But for now, just a phenomenal performer. One thing to remember when you use these soaps is that they require a butt load of water to get the consistency right.
So, as far as the scent of this soap goes, I was on the fence on what it was at first. After using it, however, I can safely say that this is a vetiver scent, no question. There is some more going on in the background, some smoke, pine tar and some background florals that support it, but it’s an in your face vetiver scent that out of the tub is a 3.5/5 SoS out of the tub that grows to a 4.5/5 once lathered. I’m not the biggest vetiver fan myself, but out of all the vetiver scents that I have tried, only Fine Fresh Vetiver is more pleasant to me as it leans a little more on the citrus than this does…well, this doesn’t lean on citrus at all. If you’re a vetiver lover, this would be a great acquisition.
The shave was a mixed bag. The Stark razor was as keen as ever, and due to my history with this razor I was very aware of how much pressure I was using. Three passes resulted in a BBS-. I say it was a mixed bag as there was a bit of pink lather on the XTG pass, I’m guessing from the area over by my left ear, but upon inspection there was no weepers, nicks or cuts; nor did the alum reveal anything of note. There was a little irritation on the neck and redness around the mouth where the SE razor I use for the ATG in those areas was used, so I’m guessing from a bit of over shaving chasing the baby. I followed up with the matching post-shave salve and topped off with some Guerlain Vetiver. Not my favorite scent profile, as stated, but it is nice all the same.
Work has been frustrating, not that I can get into any amount of details…hope everyone is doing well and has a great Thursday!
Declaration Grooming La Quatrieme Ville | Jerry Stark 7/8” French Point
Currently on Shave #479 | Straight shave #288
Another new soap up for today in Declaration Grooming’s La Quatrieme Ville. Performance has been spoken about before in regards to DG’s bison tallow formula, which is the top performing soap base in the den, as of this writing. Of course, after a test lather of the Project Icarus soap base, I had to alter my ratings and take a half point off the moisturizing quality score for the bison tallow base, as the Project Icarus is indeed better. But for now, just a phenomenal performer. One thing to remember when you use these soaps is that they require a butt load of water to get the consistency right.
So, as far as the scent of this soap goes, I was on the fence on what it was at first. After using it, however, I can safely say that this is a vetiver scent, no question. There is some more going on in the background, some smoke, pine tar and some background florals that support it, but it’s an in your face vetiver scent that out of the tub is a 3.5/5 SoS out of the tub that grows to a 4.5/5 once lathered. I’m not the biggest vetiver fan myself, but out of all the vetiver scents that I have tried, only Fine Fresh Vetiver is more pleasant to me as it leans a little more on the citrus than this does…well, this doesn’t lean on citrus at all. If you’re a vetiver lover, this would be a great acquisition.
The shave was a mixed bag. The Stark razor was as keen as ever, and due to my history with this razor I was very aware of how much pressure I was using. Three passes resulted in a BBS-. I say it was a mixed bag as there was a bit of pink lather on the XTG pass, I’m guessing from the area over by my left ear, but upon inspection there was no weepers, nicks or cuts; nor did the alum reveal anything of note. There was a little irritation on the neck and redness around the mouth where the SE razor I use for the ATG in those areas was used, so I’m guessing from a bit of over shaving chasing the baby. I followed up with the matching post-shave salve and topped off with some Guerlain Vetiver. Not my favorite scent profile, as stated, but it is nice all the same.
Work has been frustrating, not that I can get into any amount of details…hope everyone is doing well and has a great Thursday!
Well...of course after initially holding off on posting my blog entry until I checked the mail, I got impatient/forgot why I was waiting and posted my entry. Aaaaaaaaaaand...one of my packages shows up. LOL. Today the B&M Eventide and CFG Santa Paula soap and AS's showed up. Initial impressions are neutral, as I know that both of these scents are going to evolve once lathered up, so I'll hold off on judgement on both.
You have me really really interested in that Vetiver scented one though
Cvargo said:
Thanks Chad...there's only two, maybe three other B&M scents that I'm interested in. I'd like to pick up a jar of 42, as well as the Reserve Fern and Reserve Lavender. Of course, this is not considering whatever fougere scent they release in late summer, as is the norm for them. You're spot on regarding the scents, though. They tend to be well blended, but can become muddled with little evolution. I'm hoping that's not the case with Eventide.
DocHoliday0831 said:
If you're a vetiver fan, this is one that you would be remiss not to have. I will say it's not a classic vetiver, but when combined with the performance of the soap, you really can't go wrong.