Razor: Tatara Masamune Razor
Blade: Gillette Blue
Brush: Tournure de bois White Synthetic
Soap: Lather Bros Howling Winter
Aftershave: Lather Bros Howling Winter
Other: Davidoff Cool Water, Thirsty Badger lather bowl
Winter is here! We had several inches of snow last night and if the forecast holds true we are in store for 12-18 inches more by morning. Howling Winter from Lather Bros just seemed like a logical choice.
Howling Winter is one half of the Game of Thrones series from Lather Bros. The scent on this is an homage to Davidoff Cool Water, with extra mint added in. Notes are notes of Lavender, Peppermint, Rosemary, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Geranium, Musk and Spearamint. The other half of the series, Roaring Fire, was a no buy for me. That was based off of Dior Fahrenheit and that is probably my least favourite frag I’ve ever smelled, but I digress.
The scent strength on this soap has died off a bit since I initially picked it up. You get more of that mentholly mint and less of the Davidoff Cool Water. Even lathered, it doesn’t jump up. I’d say it is under medium for me. I do appreciate the cooling in this as there is some restraint. It isn’t a menthol bomb, just natural mint making It is lightly refreshing. Performance was more than adequate and the soap is extremely slick. Post shave wasn’t too exciting (although not bad) so it was nice to have a matching balm.
The razor today is a fairly recent acquisition, the Tatara Masamune. I picked it up with both this head and the Nadachi head. The razor looks stunning. Fit and finish is fantastic. Balance and weight are spot on. This has taken over as my favourite looking razor. The packaging that the razor came in was also very high quality. Performance on this was good, but I do see some faults. First, the handle looks good but the indented knurling is pretty much just for aesthetics. With a slick soap, it can be a bit tricky to hold. The Masamune head also had more blade feel than I was expecting, especially for having a negative exposure. I also didn’t find the most efficient razor given the pricepoint. Maybe I just don’t have my angles yet so I’ll keep using it and see how it improves. Other than the slight negatives, it is a pretty damn sweet razor.
I finished up with the matching balm. I do find the balm to be a bit heavy. A little goes a long way so really work it between the hands to warm it up and apply. Performance was excellent though. Scent strength hadn’t toned done with age and skin was left feeling nice and hydrated. I did really enjoy the balm, although I do wish I had a chance to pick up the splash. Scent on this doesn’t have any longevity so it was nice to finish up with the matching frag from Davidoff.
A really refreshing shave today. Now I’m off to go shovel some snow…. again. All for now – J
