Pre-shave: Hot Shower
Brush: Wolf Whiskers - custom 30mm blackwolf
Soap/Cream: Grooming Department - Cedarwood
Razor: Razorock - Lupo SS 95
Blade: Gillette - King C Gillette (10)
Post-shave: Proraso - Wood & Spice beard balm / A&E Ski
2 Pass WTG = DFS+ daily shave. Another nice shave with this razor and blade combo.
The Soap, Grooming Department - Cedarwood. Scent strength is medium to strong off the puck, mellows down once lathered. Scent notes, Orange EO, Grapefruit EO, Ginger Lily EO, Ginger EO, Pink Pepper EO, Geranium Absolute, Rose Absolute, Howood EO, Siam Wood EO, Benzoin Resin, Carrot Seed EO, Alaska Cedarwood EO, Hiba (Japanese Cedarwood) EO, Port Orford Cedarwood EO, Styrax, Muhuhu EO, Himalayan Cedarwood EO, Virginia Cedarwood EO. Texas Hill Country Cedarwood EO, Atlas Cedarwood Absolute. Vetiver Absolute, Patchouli EO, Vanilla Co2 extract, Tonka Bean Absolute.
Wow, I am stunned at the scent notes, let's take a a more in depth look.
11x different wood notes, 2x different citrus top notes, 2x middle spice notes, 4x floral middle notes, 1x herbal middle note, 1 x resin note, another 4x base notes besides the wood. With all those cedarwood notes, and only a very minor amount of smokiness to the scent, credit is due to the artisan for not cloying the scent in smokiness.
The scent is what I would describe as woody spicey oriental. This one is not too dark thanks in part to the use of the grapefuit, the floral notes especially the ginger lily, the benzoin resin, styrax which add a smoothness to the scent, and the tonka bean which adds just the slightest amount of powder. In saying that, the scent is also not light due to all the woods notes, vetiver, and the patchouli. I really enjoyed the vetiver note that cements the scent and keeps it on its path to letting you know there is earthiness, masculinity, and staying power. The dry down of the scent let's the wood notes evolve with the patchouli, vanilla, and tonka bean, resins, all aiding in the sensory experience.
Out of the ordinary for me I decided to do a face wash with the residual soap from the brush, as the ingredient lists over 30 face nourishing ingredients which was intriguing to try out.
Let me say that was the best face wash I have ever had. The face felt so soft and plump. Do I need to use any post shave product ? Definately not. Where would the fun be if I didn't use seperate post shave products.
Overall a really good woody spicey oriental scent. With so many fine cedar essential oils this scent could have turned into a cluster bomb of cloying sensory overload, though thankfully that's not the case. I would not say this is a refined type scent like a cologne, rather an expression of the artisans capabilities that pushes new boundaries with how much wood notes one can add without ruining the scent. The balance of scent notes is the key, and I think the artisan has done really well, especially pairing it with one of the best vegan bases in the business. For me its a two thumbs up.
@rhodes96 - how does the soap compare to the Prorosa Wood & Spice sense?
I used the wood and spice beard wash for a long time and loved the rich / premium smell - woody / citrusy but with an element of middle eastern oily perfume.
is the soap a good pairing?
