Razor: Gem Jr Bar (Revamped by Razor Emporium)
Blade: Personna PTFE
Brush: Tournure de bois 26mm APShaveCo Gealousy
Soap: Ariana & Evans SoCal Hipster
Aftershave: Ariana & Evans SoCal Hipster
Friday! I have almost made it through the week. The first week back from vacation is always a mess as I weed through emails (200+) and get status updates from ongoing projects at the office. I figured with the hot weather, I’d slide into the weekend with this beauty set from A&E.
As I mentioned earlier in the week, this A&E set just hit the den. When I was shopping I wanted to pick up something a bit different from the typical A&E/Club offering, something coming in with the summer vibe. The first was an aquatic. This second one, SoCal Hipster, is a fruity fresh summer scent. I’m a big fan of this scent. Scent notes on SoCal Hipster are Pink peppercorn, pineapple, banana, passion fruit, mango, cade, oakmoss, sandalwood, cedarwood and musk. Off the puck you are greeted with a really nice Pineapple and Banana scent. I liked it, but once you hit it with some water and a brush, the other nuances of the scent join the party. During the shave I was hit with the pink peppercorn and the fruity passion fruit and mango. It is a really fresh and fruity without being too sharp or sweet. Once it dries down though is when the magic truly happens as the undertones of cade, oakmoss, sandalwood and cederwood come out to give it that robust masculine vibe. The pineapple and banana stay present throughout but the base notes really elevate this scent. I really enjoyed it and for my wife, it was a big win. I think I have the summer date night scent nailed down.
Base on this is again, Kaizen. Similar to previous, load is dead simple, cushion and post shave are excellent but I’m still not dialed in enough to get the best slickness. Luckily it was no issue with the revamped Gem Jr Bar today. In my memory, this razor wasn’t my favourite shave-wise, being a bit harsh, but the revamp has done wonders. I really enjoyed the shave and got a very smooth 3 pass today, almost BBS. The re-plating really brought out the beauty of the details on this razor, photos just don’t do it justice.
Post shave splash today, I’m unsure if the formula has been tweaked or if it is the scent ingredients playing with the base but the splash was noticeably thicker today, so much so I had trouble getting it out the restrictor. Once I did though, man, same strong scent and performance was great. My skin feels awesome and the scent has been carrying on me for an hour already.
A cracking good shave today. Now I just need to power through the day so I can enjoy the weekend. All for now – J
