Grooming Dept Vertu is quite a shaving soap. The label shows a work from Picasso’s Guitar series. The soap’s fragrance is “Chocolate, Osmanthus, Cognac, Castoreum, Patchouli, Tonka, and Vanilla” and its list of ingredients:
Aloe Vera Juice, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Coconut Milk, Castor Oil, Cupuaçu Butter, Mango Butter, Camelina Oil, Marshmallow Extract, Glycerine, Rice Bran Wax, Beta Sitosterol, Sunflower Lecithin, Jojoba Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil Oil, Kuki nut Oil, Larch Arabinogalactan, Tara Gum, Erythritol, Glucomannan (Konjac root), Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Propanediol, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Hydroxide, Squalane, Lauryl Laurate, Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Betaine, Isostearic Acid, Sasha Inchi Oil, Meadofoam Oil, Allantoin, Argan Oil, Tucuma Butter, Ucuuba Butter, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Oleic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Fragrance, Colloidal Oatmeal, Sucrose Cocoate, Sodium Gluconate, Calendula Extract, Ceramide 3, C12-15 alkyl benzoate, Liquorice Root Extract, Beta Glucan, Broccoli Seed Oil, Tamanu Oil, Hyaluronic Acid, Grape Seed Extract, Chamomile Extract, Sea Kelp Extract, Green Tea Extract, Alpha Bisabolol, Inositol, Histidine, Lysine, Arginine, Sodium PCA, Sodium Alginate, Aspen Bark Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf extract, Phospholipids, Resveratrol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) flower extract and Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) flower extract, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Tocopherols.
My Green Ray brush did a great job on the lather, which had a slightly brown color, something I’ve noticed in other vanilla-containing soaps. The lather itself was fragrant (see above) and also extremely thick, rich, and slick.
Maggard Razors V2 open-comb is a clone of the Parker 24C/26C, but the Maggard handle I’m using is superior to the Parker handles. This is an excellent razor, extremely good in both comfort and efficiency. Three passes produced a perfectly smooth face, to which I applied a small splash of Lenthéric Tweed cologne and a small dab of Hermès Eau d’orange verte Moisturizing face lotion to balmify the cologne.
The tea this morning is Murchie’s Hairy Crab Oolong, an extremely tasty tea: “Named for its leaves, which are serrated like a hairy crustacean, this oolong is delicate, refreshing, and incredibly fragrant. An excellent introductory oolong.” Oolongs are brewed at a lower temperature than black tea. Murchie’s offers this guide:
