LG23-14: 🍌🥶 Frigid Friday 🧊🍌
- Brush: Shore Shave “Purple Ribbon” 24mm Motherlode
- Razor: Blackland Sabre
- Blade: GEM (4)
- Lather: Abbate y La Mantia - Don Jose - Shaving Soap
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Boat Drinks - Aftershave
- Fragrance: Blackbird - Y06-S
- Passes: WTG, XTG
- Coffee: West Java. Cijapati, Garut - v: Typica. Tim Tim. Catimor - p: Triple picked. Washed.
- Music: Señor Coconut - Around the World
- LG Tags:
#FOF
I was going to skip today’s challenge in favor of an unscarred visage for the next few weeks, but then storms kept the dog up, which meant the dog kept me up, which meant I’m bleary-eyed and got up an hour later in an attempt to feel like a functioning adult, and now I’m way behind today and needed to make my shave quick. What was I talking about? Oh, right, shaving.
I grabbed a beloved GEM razor to maximize my chances of a smooth shave (more rigid blades than DEs), face lathered the cooling Don Jose, and skipped straight to the ATG pass. It went surprisingly well. I started at the bottom of my neck (WTG up until my Adam’s apple) and then kept going straight up ATG, upper neck, then cheeks, then chin and upper lip. The cheeks were a breeze, but the Sabre struggled with my chin and lip, leaving plenty of unevenly-cut stubble for my XTG pass. The Don Jose features an at best above-average soap base; I suspect a top-tier performer would have allowed me to chew through that hair more efficiently. No cuts and no obvious irritation by the time I finished up, rinsed, and splashed on the Stirling aftershave. I don’t plan on shaving like this again unless challenged, but it’s good to know I can without issue when I’m in a rush.
While this shave wasn’t sponsored by /u/J33pGuy13, it should have been, since it’s all-banana-everything. Everything you say? Oh yes, EV-RY-THING.
Up first, Don Jose, with its cheery mix of coconut, banana, and “menthol crystals.” It’s not a dynamic scent, but it’s a super fun one, the banana and coconut candy-like in intensity but without much sweetness. The menthol is light enough to show up as you’re lathering like a cool breeze, but not so strong as to make the whole blend smell like menthol. (And while I’m using samples today, the packaging for Don Jose is beautiful, so that’s another perk.) I followed my shave up with a splash of Boat Drinks—more banana and coconut, plus flowered rum. The combination smells a lot like boozy bubblegum when I first put it on. Give it time to breathe and it’s easier to pick out the notes, but still a cohesive blend. I like the smell on its own, but I rarely think to use my tub, and I find the aftershave difficult to wear.
I finished things up with Y06-S, which (unlike Boat Drinks) Nicole Miller stresses “is not a novelty scent” and “not a gourmand perfume,” even though it’s all creamy, metallic banana. The banana here is more Gros Michel than Cavendish, but it’s a mix of the two; ripe banana just opened, though not as artificially-intense smelling as straight-up banana ester. The electronics sizzle that crackles around the banana in the opening is attention-grabbing, olfactory sleight of hand to surprise you when the banana resolves into a jasmine and oud floral. Y06-S is like a reverse Magic Eye, starting with the banana floating out in front, then suddenly collapsing into a collage of indole, cream, and wood when you focus on it long enough.