Razor: Karve CB on C OC
Blade: Rapira Platinum Lux
Brush: Simms Best Badger
Soap: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Doppelganger Green
Aftershave: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Doppelganger Green Star Jelly
Other: Thirsty Badger lather bowl
Yesterday’s shave was so good I figured why not try it again…. fougere scent with a restored vintage brush. First off, this brush is another one of the restored brushes I just completed. It is an old Simms “Made in Canada” brush handle. It could be Bakelite? It is a hard black material with a solid cream stamped base. If anyone knosws any more information on this brush, please share. I really like the uncomplicated nature and shape of it. For the knot I had a badger knot kicking around for quite a while that I dropped in it. I think it was best badger but I’m not 100% sure. I can say that it won’t be staying. I think I set it a bit too high and the knot quality is sub par as well. The result is an extremely floppy brush. While it is comfortable to hold, it isn’t really a great brush to work with. I’m not sure if I will source another badger or if I will use one of the cream, brown or smoke synthetic knots I have on hand. I’ll give it some thought.
The software today is the Doppelganger Green set from PAA. After I used the Ox Blood set (Sartorial) this popped on my radar. Sartorial is a fantastic fougere scent in it’s own right, but this also was listed as a fougere. It is an homage to Paco Rabanne Pour Homme. I’ve never used that vintage scent but the scent notes of rosemary, clary sage, brazilian rosewood, tonka bean, lavenderm geranium, honey, amber, musk and oakmoss sound fantastic. I was not disappointed. This is a very true fougere scent. This is in the same wheelhouse as the Satorial, MDC fougere and classic Brut. I’m a big fan of this scent. The base is CK6 which performs extremely well too. A big win on this one.
This was also my first experience with the Star Jelly post shave product from PAA. Rather than grabbing the aftershave I decided to try this instead. This post shave jelly acts like a balm, it goes on nice and smooth and absorbs very well. Skin is left feeling fantastic and chilled with a bit of menthol in the mix. I’m a big fan of the performance but honestly, the scent gets lost a bit with the menthol scent in the mix and it doesn’t have any longevity. I think I would lean towards this in an unscented form and pair with the matching splash, which, of course, I now have to add.
Despite the couple small hiccups, a really fantastic shave.
