Like Declaration Grooming’s Milksteak formula, Phoenix Artisan’s CK-6 is a premium shaving soap with impressive perforance. Unlike Milksteak (which, as the name strongly implies, is not vegan), CK-6 is a purely vegan formula, one that is as rich as any tallow-based formula you’ll encounter.
I can confirm now that this Edwin Jagger “synthetic badger” is — at least so far as I can tell — identical to the Mühle “synthetic badger” brush I used yesterday. It’s a knot that works well and is closer in feel to badger than the Plissoft brushes. It made a great lather, thanks in no small part to the soap, and I do like the fragrance of this one of the Doppelgänger series, which feature knock-offs of popular men’s fragrances:
Black Label = Sauvage by Christian Dior
Oxblood Label = Sartorial by Penhaligan’s
Orange Label = Chaps by Ralph Lauren
Grey Label = Creed Aventus
Specifically, the Black Label fragrance is described as having notes of “Bergamot, Ambroxin, Geranium, Pepper, Lavender, Vetiver, Patchouli.” Overall, a very pleasant fragrance.
The razor is an Edwin Jagger head on the handle from the Parker Semi-Slant. I don’t mind the longer handle with a standard head, but with a slant I seem to prefer a shorter handle — and of course one great benefit of the three-piece design is the ability to swap handles.
Three passes, and again an exceptionally smooth finish — these premium soaps seem to do a good job — and then a good splash of the aftershave to begin the day.