July 13, 2023
- Brush: Frank Shaving – 20mm Silver Tip Synthetic
- Razor: VC & Co - Diamondine 5/8 Straight #ALLNATURAL
- Lather: Declaration Grooming & Chatillon Lux – Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli
- Post Shave: Dr. Jon’s – Rose of Phrygia Splash
- Fragrance: Gucci – Guilty EdP Pour Homme
Today, I’m feeling like a flowery hippy. Flower power rise up! If I’m being honest, I actually don’t get a ton of patchouli in this soap, but if I’m talking to my Lather Games judge: “HOLY MOLY THERE IS SO MUCH PATCHOULI IN HERE!!!!” But the thing that matters is: Shawn Maher, who developed this scent thought there was enough in Patchouli in here to highlight it in the name, so that should more than cover the theme of the day. Is it better to trust the word of the guy using it or the guy who created the damn thing? Exactly.
I’m still not 100% comfortable with straight razors, but I’m trying to get as many scavenger hunt points as possible, as well as expand my shaving horizon, so I took my time and did okay with this straight. No major cuts or anything and actually had pretty good results. I have no idea if the wooden scales are original or done by someone else, but it does feel really cool in my hand. I like it a lot more than the plastic scales on my other straight razors.
Before buying this sample, I didn’t know what Yuzu was, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never smelled one in real life, but the interwebs tells me it’s a tart citrus fruit that is: sweeter than a grapefruit, more bitter than an orange, more tart than a lemon, and is light and refreshing. Okay. Now that that picture is painted, I have to admit, I mostly smell Rose from Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli. If I close my eyes and try REALLY hard I can make out a slight citrus, but Rose is the star of the show with this soap. And for that reason, I finished the shave with Rose of Phrygia. Had to google Phrygia too: it’s an ancient district in west-central Anatolia (modern day Asian Turkey) between the 12th century BC and the 7th century BC. They apparently had a massive rose garden in Macedonia named after King Midas. Unsure if that King sold mufflers and did oil changes as well. I AM sure, however, that this splash goes quite good with the Yuzo/Rose/Patchouli. The splash has an earthiness to it that makes the splash so much more than just rose scents.
And finally, to bring this home, I sprayed on Gucci’s Guilty, which features Fresh Rose, Hot Chili Peppers, and Cedar. This is a really nice fragrance to go with Rose of Phrygia & Yuzu Rose Patchouli, because of the common Rose connection, but I can’t see myself wearing this on a regular basis. It’s a bit too floral for my liking on a regular day. #FOF
CHALLENGE
For my song of the day, I choose Kiss from a Rose by Seal. I know I should probably pick something more related to patchouli like Phish or the Grateful Dead…. But I really get a lot of Rose from Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli so I’m going with roses all day! I remember loving this music video as a kid because it had clips from Batman Forever, which was a bad Batman movie, looking back, but I loved anything Batman as a kid. Still do.