My skin feels amazing. Of course, the shave has the benefit of being a Monday-morning shave (hence a two-day stubble) and I did use a superb slant razor, the iKon Shavecraft #102. But I’m sure that the soft supple feel of my skin owes a lot to the Grooming Dept products I used.
First was the amazing Moisturizing Pre-Shave, which I use before every shave. At first, I did not like the new formulation (well, new several months ago) — it was different. Now I realize how much better it is than the earlier (and very good) version.
Then one of Grooming Dept’s shaving soaps, Mallard Almond Vanilla. This one is sold out, but it is wonderful:
Scent Notes: Bergamot, Heliotrope, Cumin, Almond, Lavender, Jasmine, Vanilla, Sandalwood, and Amber.
Ingredients: Water, Stearic Acid, Duck Fat, Kukui Nut Oil, Goat Milk, Castor Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Cupuaçu Butter, Kokum Butter, Glycerin, Jojoba Oil, Myristic Acid, Shea Butter, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Coconut Milk, Tamanu Oil, Lauryl Laurate, Carnauba Wax, Beeswax, Allantoin, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Betaine, Sodium Lactate, Silk Amino Acids, Oat Amino Acids, Sesame Oil, Macadamia Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Gluconate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Tocopherols, Silk Peptides.
My Rooney Style 1 Size 1 Super Silvertip easily raised a wonderful lather from the soap, and with the #102 slant I had a face of perfect smoothness three passes later.
I finished the shave with a tiny squirt of Grooming Dept Rejuvenating Serum. This is not perhaps truly an aftershave per se (it’s catalogued under “skin care,” no “aftershave), but it served well and I can’t fault the resulting feel of my skin. The fragrance is subdued (which is a weasly way of saying I could not detect the fragrance, but my nose is a blunt instrument — a finer nose might well appreciate the fragrance).
The sum total is a shaving finish that provides considerable enjoyment.
BTW, Grooming Dept products sell out quickly, but if you don’t find what you want on the website, check the stockists that carry Grooming Dept products. They will often have things no longer available on the home site.
The tea this grey wintry day is Murchie’s London Afternoon: “Fragrant rose petals are interwoven with smoky Lapsang Souchong, sweetened with creamy vanilla and a touch of bright bergamot.”