Razor: Karve CB on C
Blade: Polsilver
Brush: Sloyd Silvertip
Soap: Declaration Grooming Weinstrasse
Aftershave: Chatillon Lux Weinstrasse Toner
Other: Thirsty Badger lather bowl
I love me a good fougère. Something about that scent profile just sparks my interest. I find they have a really nice freshness but also have a bit of a throwback traditional vibe to them. I always get excited when I discover a new, well done fougère. This particular set from Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux kind of fell in my lap. I had posted a few items in our CWS buy/sell/trade forum to see what might be out there and a member tossed this soap out as a trade option. A fougère? In the Declaration Milksteak base? Yes please. And bonus, the artwork looks bad ass. (kudos to Declaration Grooming on the milksteak labels, they are on point). Once the soap arrived, I knew I was going to love it, and luckily the fine folks at Top of the Chain had the matching post shave from Chatillon Lux.
Scent notes on this are: white grape, honeysuckle, iris, blackcurrant bud, helichrysum, sandalwood, coumarin, oakmoss and musk. It is a really well done blend. This isn’t your typical fougère but it definitely shares that DNA. It is kind of, well, dirty. And very green. But along with that, you get a subtle sweet floral and fruitiness cutting through. Before I looked up the scent notes, I would have sworn yuzu was in this for the subtle zesty vibe along with that dirty green.
Performance of the soap is elite level good. Lather won’t have a tonne of volume but it is very dense, rich and creamy. Cushion is excellent, slickness elite. Post shave is amazing as well. If I had one knock on the base, I’d say it is a bit tricky to dial in, requiring plenty of water and patience. This may lead to some troubles for inexperienced users. This isn’t unique to the Declaration Grooming base, as more artisans push the limits of cushion/slickness/post shave to new heights, the byproduct is a product that takes more patience to dial in. I’ve seen it on several new soap bases from artisans.
The matching post shave toner is excellent. My experience with Chatillon Lux toner base is fairly limited but I’m really impressed. Chatillon Lux scents have never really resonated with me so I’ve never kept them around in the den very long to put them through their paces. This scent will change that so I’m happy to keep this in the den. This toner is a bit thicker than some of the witch hazel splashes I’ve used and the resulting performance has left my skin feeling fantastic. It absorbs well, and doesn’t have that tacky feeling you can sometimes get from witch hazel. Scent strong is strong but not overpowering and appears to be carrying with me just fine.
Can we talk about this brush for a second? This walnut brush I picked up from a local brush maker. I had taken a lathe class from him and we got talking about shave brushes, which he had never made but was interested in. I had a bunch of synthetic knots kicking around that I gave him in return for a brush. I have ended up getting 3 brushes from him now. This particular handle really speaks to me. It is fairly simple in shape which I really like, letting the stunning walnut do all the talking. It is also extremely comfortable to lather with. My one knock on it since I got it was the small synthetic knot. Unfortunately that was all I had on hand to pass on to him. I have since discovered I really don’t like small synthetic knots (less than 24mm). On the flip side, I really like small badger knots as they bloom out very well and have performance to match. Luckily I had this 20mm on hand from a few knot additions. I ended up re-knotting the brush with this silvertip badger and I couldn’t be happier. Now the brush performs up to its looks. Expect to see this a little more in SOTDs.
Hope everyone has a great #FougereFriday! All for now – J
