What soap/cream did you use today?

Absinthe (Martin de Candre) minty anise
Shave 1 ・ 237 g left

Many thanks to Spectre for reviewing this soap! After reading his description, I knew I had to try Absinthe myself. Though it took a few weeks for the package to cross the globe, it was worth the wait. The new labels look great, and the fragrance is fantastic: a rich blend of thyme, lemon balm, aniseed, fennel, and mint. It feels like a bitter take on the classic fougère, both elegant and casual. The mint adds a clean, subtle chill, while the woody base gives the scent lasting depth.

One last thing: Martin de Candre is very generous. The scale shows they gave me nearly 40 extra grams.
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Brush Phoenix Shaving Peregrino (698) ・ Razor Blackland Vector Ti (134) ・ Blade Feather ProGuard (4)

Bouki
I‘m happy that you liked it! I wish you a lot of enjoyable shaves with it!

Shaving Cream: Truefitt & Hill Grafton Shaving Cream, sample

Tuesday, December 31, 2024 - Stirling Glacial Black Cherry

 

Scents have always been a huge part of my life but I suppose all of us can say such. The smell of fresh bread or a newly mown lawn likely appeal to us all, and I’m sure all of us have had the experience of a scent bringing back memories long forgotten.  I recall when covid robbed my sense of smell it surprised me how debilitating I’d found it, and how grateful I was to realize one morning that I could once again smell the scent of rose in my tub of AoS rose absolut.  The other day I drove past a farmer neighbors place and he has a huge mound of chopped silage corn.  I couldn’t smell the sharp, boozy scent of the pile as it is sealed under a huge plastic tarp and the wind was wrong but I KNEW what it will smell like when he cracks it open to feed in a couple of weeks.  So many great scents that many wouldn’t find pleasant appeal to me.  The acrid smell of coal smoke mixed with bitter cold air. The smell of a barnyard where cattle hang out. The scent of a skunk who passed through on his nightly rounds, or the smell of diesel smoke as a big rig warms up after sitting all night.  I suppose that’s why this soap draws me so much. Saturnia is arguably the best scent in all shavedom. Off the puck it is rich and heady and manly, but the treat is in a wet brush tickling that sulphur note forward and it is transformed into something even better.  The smell of sulphur in steamy clouds from a hot springs are glorious and a scent that sends me to so many memories both ancient and modern. I love this scent and soap.

Grooming Dept