June 10 - Happy Together
- Brush: Chisel & Hound Mint Smoke anchurian V20 26 mm #SHD
- Razor: Rolls Razor Imperial No. 2 #FOREVERSAFETY #STAINLESSLESS
- Blade: Rolls Razor Imperial No. 2 (2)
- Lather: Chicago Grooming - Armonia
- Post Shave: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus Fougere
- Fragrance: Declaration Grooming - Cerberus
Theme: All software products are collabs. Soap: Chicago Grooming x House of Mammoth. Splash and frag: Declaration Grooming x House of Mammoth x Noble Otter. There's a Mammoth on every label.
Challenge: Today’s theme is collaboration. So, I wanted to pick a song from a collaborative album. I listened to Love This Giant by St. Vincent and David Byrne while I was making dinner and landed on I Am An Ape. I found this stunning live performance. My software labels feature Mammoths, Bison, and Otters. An ape seems fitting.
I love Armonia. I purchased the frag when it was re-released this year to complete my trifecta. The draw of the fragrance is the note of spicy cured tobacco. That's complemented by a composition of green notes providing touches of powder and herb. There's a slight earthiness. Cedar serves as a backdrop. This is one of my favorite uses of tobacco in a fragrance. Chicago Grooming describes this as a fougere. The tobacco and cedar make this stand out in what is typically a lavender heavy genre. This Darkwing soap base is low-key one of the best on the market.
I bought this Rolls Razor for “new to you” last year. I haven’t used it since. I didn’t enjoy it. I saw many people using it this year have a bad time. And yet, here I am, using it again for hardware points. Time for a little secret, I’ve never used the built-in hone or strop. u/gcgallant was kind enough to hone it for me last year. I stropped it on a paddle strop today. I was reasonably sure I’d get a slick lather with Darkwing. So, today seemed as good as any to try shaving with this again. Despite my best efforts, it was still bad. The razor was tuggy. It didn’t do well on curved surfaces, or with the tougher hair around my mustache, goatee, and chin. This thing just doesn’t work well for me.
After the awesomeness that is Cerberus, the triumvirate of Declaration Grooming, House of Mammoth, and Noble Otter reunited to grace us with Cerberus Fougere. Splashing this on, I get heavy oakmoss right away with a bit of lavender. I have the set in front me. If I smell the splash in the bottle I get a big whiff of sweet bergamot. Nosing it a bit more, the oakmoss comes through. Smelling the soap, bergamot is there, a hint of oakmoss, and the sandalwood in the base is apparent. It’s an interesting exercise in fragrance. Going from the fruity sandalwood of Sandalorian to the dialed back interpretation of Cerberus, this fougere version came out of left field. The fougere elements are prominent. I can also detect the core Cerberus sandalwood note underneath. It lacks the fruit notes from the original. It stands alongside fragrances like Beaudelaire, Fougere Angelique, and Fougere Gothique as outside the box fougeres.
After missing out on Sandalorian, I was excited when Cerberus was announced. The opening is floral bordering on vanilla, green, slightly fruity, sweet balsamic, and sandalwood. It’s a fun combination of scents; the contrast of light, playful, sweet elements drawing to resinous, dry elements at the core. Wearing this makes me feel happy. Of the two Cerberus fragrances (Cerberuses? Cerberi?), the original still takes the cake in my book.
#photocontest - DIY. My mobile phone repair kit is to the right. The gaming PC I built last year is behind.
#FOF