Happy Equinox and welcome to nights longer than days up here on the northern half of the planet — but only for a few months. Things will turn around before the end of the year, and in the meantime — it’s an ill wind indeed that blows nobody good — those on the other side of the Equator can now enjoy days longer than night (at least, until the next Equinox rolls around).
I have said it often before, and still it’s true: I do love the fragrance of Phoenix Artisan’s Solstice. I occasionally see critical comments on the fragrance, but those so far have been made by persons who have not actually smelled the soap or aftershave, so I tend to question the soundness of the judgments (which generally made on the logic of abstract principles rather than the findings of actual experience). I would rate this fragrance as a “masculine” fragrance that’s substantially better than the usual stab at a gendered fragrance such as Chiseled Face’s Midnight Stag: “Russian Leather, Motor Oil, Hoppes #9, Birch Tar, Oakmoss, Gasoline, Smoke, Cedar, Cade, Bergamot, Vanilla” — I actually like the fragrance of Midnight Stag, but it goes in quite a different direction than Solstice’s “Sage, Sweetgrass, Cedar, Rose Absolute, and Benzoin Resin.” Midnight Stag’s fragrance is more what I would call a novelty fragrance, while Solstice’s fragrance leans much more toward a classic formulation (especially with the Rose Absolute, given that Rose, like Lavender, is a truly classic fragrance for a shaving soap).
I have the Kokum Butter formula of the soap, which is excellent, but if I get through this tub and buy another, I will probably get the CK-6 version. Back in the day, Sears, Roebuck & Co. in their giant catalog (aka the wishbook) often offered three versions of a product — good, better, best — with the product identified as such. It was a neat marketing trick: an upsell via the catalog page. I’ve noticed that sometimes we are so attached to a product — particularly if it’s at the “better” level — that we can’t at first appreciate the quality of the “best.” That happened to me with my pre-shave. MR GLO was definitely “good,” and I used that for years, so I was blown away when I tried the original formulation of Grooming Dept Moisturiziing Pre-Shave — a “better” in every way. Then I got the new formulation (now the current formulation) and it was different. It took me several shaves before I realized that the difference was that I have moved from “better” to “best.” Because “better” in general is very good in indeed — certainly better than “good” — it takes a bit to realize that there is an even higher level: “best.”
I was thinking about this because PA’s Kokum Butter shaving soap is not just “good,” it is “better”: a shaving soap definitely a cut above run-of-the-mill shaving soaps. And yet… my using the CK-6 (a “best”) had sort of blinded me to how good the Kokum Butter formula is. It is indeed a “better” level soap, and it has that quality even when a “best” soap exists.
Those were my thoughts as I lathered, and as you can see, I do not rush that initial lathering — as usual, a lathering on top of a very thin layer of Moisturizing Pre-Shave.
RazoRock’s Old Type is a wonderful razor, unprepossessing but extremely comfortable — no intrusive blade feel here — and highly efficient — a perfectly smooth result achieved with no effort. Moreover, it is costs very little and, since it has the sensible three-piece design, you can use a handle of your choice. You can even buy the head by itself and use a handle you already have.
Three passes left my face perfectly smooth, undamaged, and not even threatened. A splash of Solstice aftershave — mm, I love that fragrance — with a couple of squirts of Grooming Dept Hydrating Gel finished the job.
The tea this morning is Murchie’s Victorian Garden: “Notes of jasmine, lavender, sweet pea and bergamot are combined with strawberry and vanilla in this smooth and well-rounded blend of green and black teas.” I will add that in my neighborhood of Victoria, James Bay, houses and even apartment buildings generally have striking flower gardens with a wide variety of blooms. It makes walking a pleasure. (I’ve noticed over the years that suburbs, whose inhabitants drive rather than walk, usually don’t go in for flower gardens so much. Usually, the houses stand somewhat isolated in the middle of a bland green lawn, bereft of flowers and interesting shrubs.