Razor: Karve Overlander on G-Tech Stainless
Blade: Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge Yellows
Brush: Ritual Shaving 26mm Pure Bliss
Soap: Ariana & Evans Nirvana Shave Cream
Other: Ariana & Evans Birthday Suit EDP, Thirsty Badger Shave Company Lather Bowl
Hey, long time no see. I know, I know…. I have been very quiet on the SOTD front for quite some time. Life has been quite busy of late and so shave content has taken a back seat. Rest assured, we are still here and, when time allows, making our way into the pottery studio to create new things. Content creation started feeling like a chore, so I figured it was a good time to slow down. Don’t worry, my passion for the hobby is alive as ever and from time to time, I still will hop on here to write.
As such, I recently returned from another shave meetup. This one in Toronto, my second such meetup in the GTO. This one was the biggest Toronto meetup to date. I was able to reconnect with friends and artisans (also friends) and even meet a few new folks in the hobby. Artisans/Vendors in attendance this year were The Razor Company (Jason), Karve Shaving (Chris), Ariana & Evans (Peter), Ritual Shaving (Mark), Spot Prints (Peter), Aylsworth Razors (Kaleb), Educated Beards and ourselves. Other notable friends in attendance were Phil, Carlos, Matt, Marko, Ken, Meg & Dewy, DJ, John & Kelly, Ben (my roommate), Victor, Randy, Brett, and many others I was happy to chat with. There was a large PIF table, a really nice prize table and over 50 people in attendance. I think everyone had a great time and went home with a prize of some sorts. Along with the meetup, I was able to enjoy a fantastic meal with Carlos and family, take in a wedding of some amazing friends, check out a few fantastic Toronto eateries (shout out to Crudo) and was even able to convince Chris (Karve) to join me at the Toronto Argonauts vs Saskatchewan Roughriders game to watch my Roughriders pull out a last second victory with a kick return touchdown. It was an amazing weekend.
This shave is my reminder of a great weekend. I’m using the new A&E products and new Ritual Shaving brush I picked up at the meetup, as well as using my trusty Karve razor and matching Thirsty Badger lather bowl. First I want to talk about this amazing brush. Mark has started releasing these concrete brushes and they are absolutely stunning. They have a bit of weight but not overly so and they are extremely comfortable in the hand. He has paired this with a 26mm Pure Bliss knot and this synthetic (similar to the G5C) is quickly turning to my favorite. Make sure you check out Ritual Shaving for his new items, he makes fantastic stuff.
The software today is the new Ariana & Evans shaving cream in tube (a gift from Pete to all the attendees). I’ve been excited to try this ever since Peter announced this release. I do use Proraso, TOBS, and DR Harris from time to time. I love the simplicity in the format and while the performance of those don’t hold up to the typical artisan product, the ease of use make them the perfect gateway to the hobby. I’ve always said if we got an artisan making a cream it is an avenue to bring many new shavers into the hobby. It should be no surprise Peter is blazing the trail. When you first experience this product you will see something that looks very familiar to the other shaving creams used in the past. Quickly you realize this is something different. This rich creamy lather takes water for days and you can just keep hydrating it to build out the rich yogurty lather. It is an experience. And while it doesn’t hold up to Peter’s other bases in terms of slickness, it still blows the other shaving creams away in all the other metrics.
The scent on this particular offering is Nirvana. It offers scent notes of Lilac, Davana, Saffron, Lavender, Tobacco, Cannabis (slight hint), Choya Loban, Amber, Musk, Agarwood, Ambroxan, Guaic Wood. I wouldn’t say this particular scent is in my wheelhouse. To my nose it is slightly floral, slightly woody, fairly green and has a slight cannabis note Pete loves to use. If you like that profile, it is well blended and fits. I did OK with it, but I’ll be looking to pickup the cream in another scent sometime soon. I hear his Sandalwood is an absolute banger.
And while I didn’t love the scent on Nirvana, this EDP of Birthday Suit is right up my alley. Scent notes on birthday suite are sicilian bergamot, salt, lavender, whiskey, rice milk, tobacco, white musk, coffee, tunisian sandalwood. It is warm, sweet and inviting. You get the subtle booziness, a warm woodiness and a rich coffee base. I really enjoyed this scent, so much so I needed to grab the EDP at the meetup. Sadly Pete was out of the Soap & Aftershave but I’m hoping it gets another limited release in the future. It is too good not to.
All in all, a great shave and an amazing reminder of the fantastic shave adventure. I already am looking forward to the next one!
All for now – J
PS – keep watching the shaving fragrance homage list. While the blog/sotd content hasn’t been as frequent, I still actively add items to this list on a regular basis.
