Jul 20, 2023 - Dupelgänger
- Prep: Klar - Activated Charcoal - Face Soap
- Brush: Farvour Turn Craft Harvest Moon 27mm Lotus Manchuria (LM-1) Knot
- Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy (Aluminum)
- Blade: Gillette Platinum [5]
- Lather: Ethos Grooming - Blue Note - Soap
- Post Shave: MacDuffs Soap Company/Pastuer Shaving - Birth of the Cool - Aftershave (Alcohol Free)
- Fragrance: Maison Martin Margiela - Jazz Club - Eau de Parfum
Ethos Blue Note is inspired by Jazz Club by Maison Martin Margiela. After comparing both the soap and the fragrance this morning, I think Ethos comes very close to the original scent. Other dupes such as ZM Soloist really feel more "inspired by" than a faithful copy.
Birth of the Cool is a little of an oddity. It is not strictly a dupe of Jazz Club, since it includes custom notes and elements from Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille. BotC tones down some of the more challenging aspects of Jazz Club while still retaining its ultracool vibe.
This was my first use with the LM-1, and I’m already experiencing tips breaking off the knot. I’m hoping this is just due to the first use, and the knot will settle in…
Challenge: The lather dried out before I could finish the first pass, and I finished the pass with the dry lather rather than try to rehydrate it. I guess it helped that this was my first time using the base, and I wasn’t certain of the water-to-soap ratios anyway. Subsequent passes were better hydrated.
Rating: 4.5/5