LG23-06: Olfactory Overdose
- Brush: Zenith r/wetshaving Moar Boar
#CHONK #OLDWORLD
- Razor: Gillette Tech
#REGUS
- Blade: Astra SP (12)
- Lather: West Coast Shaving - Chypre - Shaving Soap
- Post Shave: West Coast Shaving - Chypre - Aftershave
- Fragrance: West Coast Shaving - Chypre - EdP
- Passes: WTG, XTG
- Coffee: Ethiopia. Guji, Werka - v: Ethiopia Landraces - p: Natural. Dried on raised beds.
- Music: Woods - City Sun Eater in the River of Light
- LG Tags:
#FOF
Let's get this out of the way—I'm dutifully abiding by today's theme, but I don't like it. I don't even use matching sets all that often, let alone trifectas, and I'm feeling totally burned out on this scent already. And that's a shame, because West Coast Shaving Chypre is a personal favorite.
Composed by Chris over at Catie's Bubbles (I think, could be wrong on that), this chypre doesn't remind me all that much of others I've tried, especially the big, animalic, vintage-inspired ones. The packaging is accurate—it's "a citrus resin scent." And it's a strong one at that. The citrus component is thick, and relatively dark, like orange juice reduced down to a syrup. The resins are equally potent but vary in tone between the three products. In a soap form, the citrus takes the lead; I'd guess there's lots of orange in there, but maybe some grapefruit and lemon as well, spiked with something bristly and floral like bergamot or petitgrain. The aftershave is my favorite of the three; the resins are woody in a way they aren't in the other two products, and there's a subtle smokiness to balance the sticky wash of citrus. While I like the fragrance, I think it's the least effective version of this scent; it splits the difference between the soap and the aftershave and on my skin wears linearly. It also goes and goes and goes. WCS Chypre is not a subtle, delicate example of the genre, but it's one of my first wet shaving loves.
And before I go, here's my stack. Eye-hand coordination is not my strong-suit. (Also, if you're still planning out your shave last-minute, choose hardware with squared-off edges. Learn from my mistakes.)