Razor: Haward safety razor
Blade: Derby Platinum
Brush: Oz Shaving Synthetic
Soap: Highland Springs Havana Vieja
Aftershave: Highland Springs Havana Vieja
Other: Thirsty Badger lather bowl
If there is one downside to having a well stocked shave den it is that sometimes really good product sometimes gets forgotten. Sometimes the scent just doesn’t jump out at you and say “pick me! pick me!” Other times you get distracted by what is new and shiny. And don’t forget about the plethora of samples we wet shavers always have on hand.
Today I dug a little deeper into my well stocked den and went back to an old faithful for the shave. I felt inspired to visit Cuba (via shave, I’ve actually never been to Cuba). I grabbed this Havana Vieja offering from Highland Springs, tuned my Spotify to a Cuban music mix and went to lathering. This base has been out for a while now but I can still confirm this is one of my top (if not the top) vegan bases I’ve used. It is a very soft croap that loads very easily into any brush fibre. Be careful not to overload. Slowly add a bit of water and some patience and you will be rewarded with a lower volume, rich and creamy lather. Cushion and slickness are both excellent and the post shave is elite level good. I never have a bad shave with a Highland Springs soap. The scent on this is a light tobacco with a hint of vanilla. This is not a dupe of the Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille but it shares a bit of the DNA and would pair up with that perfectly. Scent strength on Havana Vieja is around medium or a touch lighter.
The matching splash is bang on scent wise and is also around the same scent strength. This isn’t a replacement for a cologne or EDT and strength wise it will only be there in a subtle way for a couple hours and would only be picked up by those you let into your intimate circle. As such this set is versatile enough that it can be worn to the office or it can be elevated with a fragrance like the Tom Ford offering for an evening out. Performance us on point and while the soap is good enough you don’t need a post shave at all, this has just the right ingredients to pamper that skin just a bit more.
