June 12, 2024 - Crema
- Brush: Zenith Copper 28mm Boar
- Razor: MM24 #MODERNGEM
- Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
- Lather: Proraso - Green Tea and Oatmeal
- Post Shave: Proraso - Pelli Sensibili Balsamo Dopobarba
- Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Just Right For a Tuesday
FOF
Today’s Theme:
I had a couple creams to use, but decided last minute to switch to Proraso. It is a cream in a tube and fits pretty well.
Today’s Challenge:
My den is getting a bit more organized. At the end of last month I picked up the shelves to replace a tiny little bookcase in the corner of my bedroom. The intention was to use the lower shelves for the books, and the upper shelves for shaving gear and fragrances. I thought I would be able to fit all my fragrances on one shelf. Instead they are taking up 1 1/2. I might make some kind of shelf grandstand to make it easier to see everything. For now I used various boxes to lift up the ones in back and tried to keep the taller stuff in the back. I put the stuff that still has a box in the front to block the light a little. On the spill over shelf of fragrances are all my small vials kept in a lab sample rack. I think it was designed to hold 5ml tubes up to 12mm in diameter. The 2ml tubes from today’s sponsor House of Mammoth fit really well. I thought I would take longer to fill it up but I have 3 different samplers and usually get a sample of new products before committing to a full bottle when I can. The rest of the shelf will eventually hold more splashes. Stuff on the bottom shelf is either new and no home decided, or soaps I pulled out for this month. Trying to keep out the splashes I’ve used so I think twice to see if I already used it. Most of my blades and hardware gets kept in a Walker’s Shortbread tin. I emptied it out to drive home to myself how much stuff I have. A couple years ago I got a gift tin of the Proraso used today. I use it to hold sample soaps. Last I have 6 plastic bins for my soaps, and 2 for aftershaves. I have a couple things in my office like a vintage Old Spice mug and a Seaforth! Highlander mug. A few razors I need to clean like a Fatboy and Slim, but 90% or more of my stuff is in the photos. I also need to figure out where to put my straights. I’ve seen pen racks or test tube racks used and may go that way. That’s pretty much it. Now I don’t want to count how much I have. Somehow need to maintain plausible deniability. Willful ignorance may be best.
Fragrance Feats:
The Proraso Pelli Sensibili or Green Tea and Oatmeal is a very mild scent that gives me a green leafy scent. Can’t say I get a strong tea impression, but definitely fresh leaves with maybe some cut or torn to release a little scent. Basically it provides a base to add almost anything. Looking over the pile of fragrances on the shelf, Just Right for a Tuesday caught my eye. To quote the description on Barrister and Mann,:
“I find myself reaching into my shave den and reading notes for, say, Hallows, Leviathan, or Night Music and going, “Well that’s lovely, but just a bit much for a Tuesday.”
I found that sentiment just right for a Wednesday too. A light yet complex scent with ~~12~~ 11 scent notes; rose is listed twice. What I can pick up from it is the green fig, violet, and vetiver. Because of the Vetiver day last week, I can actually pick up that green grassiness. The lavender is giving me a slightly powdery vibe and while not getting the scent in particular, my nose is feeling the black pepper. About 10 years ago or so, whenever I have something with a bit of black pepper, I get a stuffy nose. It goes away a little while later, but it took a while to figure it out. Seems like scents with a black pepper note can do it a little, but worse when I eat something heavy on black pepper like steak au poivre or sausage gravy. Still JRFAT is a great fragrance, and I have a full bottle kind of hiding in the middle of my shelf.