SOTD by u/Tetriside

June 25, 2024 - Christmas in July

• Brush: Summer Break Soaps Sheridan APShaveCo Synbad 26 mm
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird
• Blade: Wizamet (39)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Santa Noir
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Vespers

Challenge: Fresh lid. I’ve only worn this to try it on. It still has the stickers.

Theme: The soap has santa in the name and the mammoth is wearing a santa hat. Hygge’s ad copy states “Sharp evergreens provide a wintry freshness, while amber, frankincense, and castoreum provide warmth and depth. We hope this scent will warm and lift your spirits even when it’s dark and cold,” which sounds on theme to me. Vespers is Christmas themed, as seen in the ad copy.

House of Mammoth r/wetshaving exclusive Santa Noir (stylized Santa~~l~~ Noir) is the follow up to the extremely limited (UnObTaInIuM) collaboration with Australian Private Reserve, Santal Noir. As you might have gathered from the name, the base of this fragrance is a sandalwood accord. The sandalwood is prominent, especially off the tub. The sandalwood is accented by notes of balsam fir, spruce, dried fruit, jasmine, and oakmoss, which establish the Christmas theme. Those accents come out more when the soap is lathered. But, this fragrance is still too sandalwood heavy to nail the Christmas motif. That said, it’s a great sandalwood frag that’s appropriate all winter long.

Hygge is in my top three House of Mammoth fragrances. There’s a top note of sweet citrus. I quickly run up against green spicy notes of juniper and fir, mixed with musky oakmoss. Digging a bit deeper, notes of amber and castoreum add depth and intrigue. Unfortunately for me today, balm is a terrible medium for fragrance. The smell didn’t last long at all, limiting my enjoyment of this fabulous fragrance. Hygge is everything I want in a wintery fragrance. It’s more wintery to me than Santa Noir. The fresh spicy notes hit just right. The citrus brings just enough sweetness. And the base notes are warm and attractive.

My introduction to Vespers came in the form of a fragrance decant PIF from /u/merikus. I liked it so much I bought a trifecta on the ‘zaar. The first thing I notice after spraying it on is a fragrant warm spicy note of cardamom. The opening is aromatic. I smell lots of green spicy notes. Tart and fruity cranberry accentuates the cardamom. Eventually, I get to a note of fir. I love the mousse de saxe in this. I think it’s one of Will’s best uses of the accord. It creates a depth of balsamic, resinous, leathery notes that allow the aromatic and fresh spicy notes to really pop. This fragrance is so much fun. It’s joyful! I’m kind of enamored with it.

#photocontest - Bokeh balls. This was tricky with a smartphone camera. I spent more time and effort on this than I did chasing birds yesterday.

#FOF

[**June 25, 2024 - Christmas in July**](https://imgur.com/RiA8m7l)

* **Brush:** Summer Break Soaps Sheridan APShaveCo Synbad 26 mm
* **Razor:** Blackland Blackbird
* **Blade:** Wizamet (39)
* **Lather:** House of Mammoth - Santa Noir
* **Post Shave:** House of Mammoth - Hygge
* **Fragrance:** Barrister and Mann - Vespers

Challenge: [Fresh lid.](https://imgur.com/EMTtjNH) I’ve only worn this to try it on. [It still has the stickers.](https://youtu.be/5pKt4gaErvU?si=I2pdemny9N9ZHplC)

Theme: The soap has santa in the name and the mammoth is wearing a santa hat. Hygge’s ad copy states “Sharp evergreens provide a wintry freshness, while amber, frankincense, and castoreum provide warmth and depth. We hope this scent will warm and lift your spirits even when it’s dark and cold,” which sounds on theme to me. Vespers is Christmas themed, as seen in the [ad copy.](https://murphyandmcneil.com/products/vespers-shaving-soap-omnibus-by-barrister-and-mann)

House of Mammoth r/wetshaving exclusive Santa Noir (stylized Santa~~l~~ Noir) is the follow up to the extremely limited (UnObTaInIuM) collaboration with Australian Private Reserve, Santal Noir. As you might have gathered from the name, the base of this fragrance is a sandalwood accord. The sandalwood is prominent, especially off the tub. The sandalwood is accented by notes of balsam fir, spruce, dried fruit, jasmine, and oakmoss, which establish the Christmas theme. Those accents come out more when the soap is lathered. But, this fragrance is still too sandalwood heavy to nail the Christmas motif. That said, it’s a great sandalwood frag that’s appropriate all winter long.

Hygge is in my top three House of Mammoth fragrances. There’s a top note of sweet citrus. I quickly run up against green spicy notes of juniper and fir, mixed with musky oakmoss. Digging a bit deeper, notes of amber and castoreum add depth and intrigue. Unfortunately for me today, balm is a terrible medium for fragrance. The smell didn’t last long at all, limiting my enjoyment of this fabulous fragrance. Hygge is everything I want in a wintery fragrance. It’s more wintery to me than Santa Noir. The fresh spicy notes hit just right. The citrus brings just enough sweetness. And the base notes are warm and attractive.

My introduction to Vespers came in the form of a fragrance decant PIF from /u/merikus. I liked it so much I bought a trifecta on the ‘zaar. The first thing I notice after spraying it on is a fragrant warm spicy note of cardamom. The opening is aromatic. I smell lots of green spicy notes. Tart and fruity cranberry accentuates the cardamom. Eventually, I get to a note of fir. I love the mousse de saxe in this. I think it’s one of Will’s best uses of the accord. It creates a depth of balsamic, resinous, leathery notes that allow the aromatic and fresh spicy notes to really pop. This fragrance is so much fun. It’s joyful! I’m kind of enamored with it.

#photocontest - Bokeh balls. This was tricky with a smartphone camera. I spent more time and effort on this than I did chasing birds yesterday.

#FOF