#MMarch24 Madness: (7) Spearhead Shaving Company vs. (10) Catie's Bubbles
- Brush: Muninn Woodworks "Red Amboyna Burl" 26mm Maggard Premium Boar
- Razor: EldrormR Industries MM24
#MMarch24
- Blade: GEM (49)
- Lather: Catie's Bubbles - Dusk - Luxury Cream Soap
- Post Shave: Catie's Bubbles - V - After Shave Lotion
- Fragrance: Catie's Bubbles - Blugere - Eau de Parfum
- Passes: WTG, XTG
- Coffee: Sumatra. Aceh. v: Ateng. Bor Bor. Catimor. Timor. p: Washed. r: r: 02/20/24
- Music: Hannah Frances - Keeper of the Shepherd
This will likely be the toughest Round One match-up for me. I narrowed it down to Catie's Bubbles, but this was a very close game.
Spearhead's Seaforth! lineup is very cohesive, combined with excellent top-tier soap bases. Plus I love Spiced, especially as an aftershave (those samples go a long way, btw). Unfortunately, the lineup's scents largely don't work for me, despite appreciating the concept and execution. I think I'm one of about three people that can't stand Sea Spice Lime.
On the other hand, Catie's Bubbles has many original scents, a few of which are absolute bangers. That new Premium Shaving Soap base is a contender for S-tier, but it's only available in a few scents so far. The two older bases feel dated, but they're fine, and might even be ideal depending on how you like a lather to behave (the Luxury Cream Soap has plenty of structure when hydrated, but little density). 2022 and 2023 were particularly good years for the venerable wet shaving brand; looking forward to what 2024 brings.
For today's shave, I'm using Catie's Bubbles for all the software, highlighting a few scents I enjoy.
Dusk seems to be under the radar, but if you like a dry hay smell, you should try it. It's a minimal blend—four notes and "some accents"—which is the kind of scent I prefer for shave soaps. Nice label design too. (Chris, if you're looking for inspiration, I'm curious what you could do building off Dusk as the core of a fragrance with more complexity. Combine it with ideas from Connecticut Shade? Happy to help you test. 😎)
I followed up my shave with a splash of V and two sprays of Blugère. Both do interesting things with the fougère archetype. I'm always surprised by the significant spice accord in V (the cardamom pops for me) and the latter's blueberry note is just wonderful. Recommended.
⁂
EDIT: I forgot to mention that I'm pretty-sure Chris designed the scents for the exclusive line West Coast Shaving sells. Chypre is a desert island soap scent for me and I love the Fougère. Can't speak to the others tho'.