In reflecting on yesterday’s shaving post, I thought I should make clear that novelty fragrances are not ipso facto bad — indeed, they can be quite enjoyable. Phoenix Artisan’s Dark Chocolate that I used today, for example, has a fragrance I very much enjoy, and I think I would enjoy “fresh-cut grass” as well. However, these are not fragrances that (IMO) work well day in, day out. They are a wonderful change of pace, but daily use would dull the appeal pretty quickly, I believe.
They are like dessert: wonderful as an occasional treat, but if every meal consisted of dessert, it would quickly get old.
That said, I not only thoroughly enjoy today’s fragrance (in soap and aftershave), I also got a surprisingly good shave, especially given that I absent-mindedly did a two-pass shave instead of my usual three-pass shave. I started the second pass going ATG, caught myself, then thought, “Why not?” It’s the way I shaved in high school.
When I got to my upper lip, i remembered why not: the two-pass shave is for me very uncomfortable when it comes to the upper lip. Three passes means that the stubble on the upper lip is significantly reduced before the ATG pass (and the four-pass shave makes for an even more comfortable ATG pass).
The razor today is an Edwin Jagger clone (or perhaps even an actual Edwin Jagger), and I imagine this is a Maggard stainless steel handle.
Man, I do so enjoy starting the day with a good shave. And I have to say that this morning the dark chocolate really hit the spot.