Razor: Tatara Masamune
Blade: Bolzano
Brush: Copper Hat 24mm Tuxedo Synthetic
Soap: Highland Springs Forge
Aftershave: Highland Springs Forge Splash
Last shave of 2020, why not make it a great one. It has been a tough year in a lot of ways but we made it this far and we forge on. Typically New Years Eve is my least favourite holiday but this year, I’m looking forward to it.
To end out the year I am using this new offering from one of my favourite Canadian artisans, Highland Spring Soap Co. This new scent, Forge, comes in their tallow base. Scent notes on this are Tobacco, Bergamot, Vetiver, Lemon, Citrus, Tonka Bean and Musk. With those notes you might expect a powerhouse of a scent but this is on the lighter side, about a 3/10 maybe? Typically that is a disappointment for me but something about this particular scent just works. I LOVE this scent. It is a very fresh clean scent. I also find it a bit of a chameleon. As you pick out a note it comes to the forefront. At first I thought it was Tobacco forward…. until I got the lemon, then I thought it was lemon forward…. until I caught the vetiver….. etc. Nothing jumps out…. and everything jumps out. I’ve never had that experience with a scent before. You could call it a barbershop and you wouldn’t be wrong. Heck you could call it an aquatic and I wouldn’t argue. It plays the notes in so many ways.
This will be an absolute workhorse in the den. This scent will work with anything. If you want a rich tobacco cologne, go for it, it will tie in nicely. Do you want something clean and citrus? That works too. If you want something off the beaten path from these notes in your scent of the day, go for it, this won’t conflict at all. Dress it up or Casual it down, this is going to work with pretty much anything. I think this is universally appealing. I don’t think anything is going to dislike the scent. The only complaint I foresee is the scent strength, but honestly in this strength it has the flexibility of an unscented soap without missing that aspect while you enjoy the shave.
Performance on this soap and splash is awesome as well. The soap is very soft so it is very easy to load…. too easy, so be careful not to overdue it. The base will take a lot of water and will give you a lower volume/high sheen lather that is uber slick. I has trouble holding the razor it was so slick. A quick 3 passes with the Tatara Masamune and I was ready for the day.
I finished up with the matching splash. The scent on it is a touch stronger than the soap but still pretty tame. As such, I’m going to enjoy the fresh clean vibe for a bit before I dress it up with something more robust for the evening. It is going to be a small party of 3 here at our household for New Year’s, but honestly after this year, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Have a great evening everyone and we’ll chat again next year! All for now – J
