Razor: DS Cosmetic DS-D8 w/ RazoRock Barber Pole
Blade: Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge Yellows
Brush: AKA Brushworx 26mm Cashmere Synthetic
Soap: MacDuff’s Soap Company Spring Cabin
Aftershave: MacDuff’s Soap Company Spring Cabin Splash
Other: Thirsty Badger lather bowl
Sorry, a day late posting this one….
I was pretty excited and somewhat surprised to see the new MacDuff v4 drop recently. It didn’t seem that long ago that they had upgraded to their v3 base (or should I say bases). That version was a huge improvement over v2 which had some base issues. They took the feedback, improved and I’ve been very happy with my v3 pickups since. Of course, then I saw the new releases in the v4 base with new label designs and upgraded packaging. I had to get me some. Spring Cabin was one that instantly caught my eye and while not a scent I typically go for, I couldn’t help but pull the trigger. Thank goodness I did.
Spring Cabin is another in their cabin series (preceded by Autumn Cabin and Winter cabin, releases I’m now kicking myself for not getting). It offers notes of Atlas Cedar, Texas Cedar, Lemon, Grapefruit, Yuzu, Tangerine, Melon, Cucumber. It is a bright and fresh spring scent over a rich cedar base. The lemon instantly pops but you can also pick up the grapefruit, yuzu and cucumber as well. This bright and slightly fruity top sits over the woody base perfectly. It doesn’t come across sweet, just bright and fresh. Scent strength is about a medium. I love love love this scent.
The v4 base is very impressive as well. When you dial it in, it is elite-level good. One thing to pay attention to is just how soft this soap is. It is very easy to overload. This may be one of the softest soap bases I’ve used. It is also one of the thirstiest soap bases I’ve used. I just kept pushing water in and it kept taking it. You really need to make sure you hydrate the lather enough, but when you do you are rewarded with a creamy and luxurious lather that has elite level slickness and post-shave. This base is awesome, I would hold it up against anyone’s soap. I also love the tub upgrades to the wider open mouth tubs. That is a big upgrade. One thing I did notice is some label staining when the labels got wet. I did reach out to MacDuff and they have been very receptive to feedback and are looking into it. I’m very impressed at how this artisan takes feedback. Just something to watch out for with this packaging, and other shaving soaps in general.
I finished up with the matching splash. I’d say the splash reads a bit brighter in citrus than the soap but it is still very close. I didn’t really need any skin food properties after the awesome shave but that wasn’t the case this would have easily been up to the task. It is loaded with skin food. Scent is about a medium but doesn’t have a lot of longevity to it. I think that has more to do with the style of scent than the splash itself.
No complaints with this shave. All for now – J
