What soap/cream did you use today?

The vetiver in this one is dank and wonderful.  Seems those words ought not go together but man!  The scent is intoxicating for a vetiver fan.  This is not a clean, well-mannered vetiver but one that has "been places and seen things". It's beauty is the difference between a dewy complexioned, fresh faced girl and a woman with crows feet and some miles.  I love crows feet.  The Orange is fruity and bright but upon lathering the vetiver shoulders it's way to center stage.  

Declaration Grooming  Yuzu/Rose/Patchouli ( Milksteak)

Murphy and McNeil Garda Siochana

The vetiver in this one is dank and wonderful.  Seems those words ought not go together but man!  The scent is intoxicating for a vetiver fan.  This is not a clean, well-mannered vetiver but one that has "been places and seen things". It's beauty is the difference between a dewy complexioned, fresh faced girl and a woman with crows feet and some miles.  I love crows feet.  The Orange is fruity and bright but upon lathering the vetiver shoulders it's way to center stage.  

Great post. Need to try this scent. Love their verbena cream.

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Art of Shaving Rose Absolute shaving cream (vintage)

I just took a whiff of this and always reinforces: WTF did they discontinue this scent?!?!

... probably because it was too expensive to produce. This is my favorite floral ever. (broken record, I know)

Gentle Menthol Paste v. (Meißner Tremonia) menthol, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus

The German word for ‘wet shaving’ is nassrazur. I like saying that; it sounds so slippery. And I like using today’s paste because it lathers so slick. I’m on a MT kick. A few weeks ago Maggards marked down their MT stock, and I tanked up, splurging on hard soaps and pastes alike. I love both formats. The hard soap’s cushion is magnificent, while the paste’s slickness is sublime. Full marks for performance then, but what about the scents? All of MT’s offerings smell interesting, or at least curious. Fragranced with only natural oils, these soaps and pastes have an authentic twang. It’s clear that MT likes to experiment with scents. Some of their fragrances may even strike you as a bit wonky (Black Beer No. 1, Strong ’n Scottish, Salty Sea Sage in particular). Gentle Menthol, though, is an easy entry to their lineup. It smells like a clean, natural version of Proraso Green.

   

DRAGONSBEARD 



Review of Ethos/Oleo Dragonsbeard Shaving Soap 

Every now and then you happen upon a product that was never intended to get your attention and love. You either heard all the popular kids buzzing about it, got a coupon for a discount, or, in my case, got a sample from a sibling. 

The Preface:
1/ I don’t know Frank Lipani, aka Dragonsbeard (on many shave forums), zero correspondence with him until about 14 days ago. Frank is a well-respected member of the Shaving Community.  I know of him from reading his shave offs and interactions surrounding his fair critique on many products (enjoy all of it). I recently reached out to Frank asking him if he had any Dragonsbeard shaving soap and aftershave as it’s sold out everywhere. He said yes, I paid the man for it and here we are.

2/ I don’t write reviews. I write them if I really like a product or service, that is to say, something “really stands out” and there’s no substitute. I write the way I speak so have some patience with me, I’m not a writer.

The Review:
I was gifted a Dragonsbeard shaving soap sample by my brother on the 4th of July.  I read a few shaving threads about the debut of the product, it’s description by the manufacturer (Frank Lipani and his company Ethos) and a pass around to try it. I knew the soap was going to be decent as it’s collaboration with Oleo Soap Works out of Chicago.  Oleo specializes in Psoriasis, Eczema and Rosacea symptom management products.  Take the last sentence; add that to Frank’s experience in cosmetics (read that in a bio somewhere) and I think you’ll get a product that’s very good for your skin. It’s my opinion Ethos and Oleo did their due diligence and presented something pretty special. 
 
I won’t get into the technical aspect of the product, however, by the way my skin feels, additional steps have been taken to develop a great shaving soap and one that treats your skin well.   When I hear the words “and it’s very good for your skin,” I immediately think the aftermath is going to be sticky/tacky/shiny (oily).  DEFINITELY not the case here.  I did a little research on Camel and Sheep’s Milk, Kokum Butter and Duck Fat.  I was schooled on these materials being good for the skin.  I also looked into Frank’s “EOS COMPLEX” which is the “secret sauce” of high end materials that nourish and feed the skin.  
 
DB hit all my points of skin care; get rid of my facial hair, minimize any irritation, hydrate my skin, and make it feel soft and healthy overall.  I only shave 2-3x a week so my face gets to cool down after my shaves.  When I shave, I shave to pass the cotton ball test every time; otherwise it’s not worth doing.  If my skin feels this good after my shaves I can only imagine how a daily shaver’s skin will rebound!  
 
Lather/Slickness
I tried a synth, boar and badger whipping up some incredibly creamy, rich, solid and long lasting lather every single time!  DB produces a faint amber colour “cool whip” type lather, fluffy yet solid/firm and LONG lasting.  By long lasting I mean my lather sat for 15-20 minutes at a time before I rinsed out my bowl.  Always feels like a waste of good lather rinsing the bowl.  The slickness: BRILLIANT, felt like I had phantom lather on my skin after the initial pass.  Yeah, Phantom Lather, the kind you can’t see but you can do an additional pass as if you have lather on your skin. I used my most mild Level 1 OC & L3 SB Charcoal Goods to a .67 OC Wolf, Thiers straight, an R41, Barbaros, and iKon short comb, you name it, super mild to aggressive, I got the same shave every time. DB produces a lather to beat.
 
The Best Part for Last: THE SCENT
Dragonsbeard goes immediately into my TOP 10 most compliments of any fragrance in a soap I’ve ever had, and I’m fortunate to have had some goodies!  I find myself opening the container just to get a whiff of the smell! Scent of soap is VERY seasonally important to me.  I LOVE Citrusy and Woodsy/Spicy.  
 
Although the most important factors of shaving soap should be to help your skin combat irritation and the benefit of hydration; for me, I choose scent first.  I know I know, you should choose based on skin benefits, not the smell good.  Little or no scent does NOT excite me and I get bored VERY easily.  I NEED the smells.  The scent of Dragonsbeard is DARK, MASCULINE, MYSTERIOUS.  I fell in love with its scent the moment my brother gave me the sample back in July.  I knew the smell immediately, meaning, I identified with some of the components.  I think I said something like “it reminds me of Tom Ford Oud Wood or Tobacco Oud but better and different.”  After shaving with it that night, I said to my brother and cousins “I take back what I said earlier about DB smelling like other things I’ve had.  Dragonsbeard smells like Dragonsbeard, it has its own unique signature.  Its OUD, Agarwood, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tobacco, Leather, Woodsy, maybe throw in some fall leaves and a sprinkle of grass clippings.  That’s what it smells like to ME.  On smell alone, the soap is an LA 10!
 
A little longer than I wanted but well deserved!
 
BRAVO Frank for a kick ass soap, I LOVE the Splash and the bath bar too! Alexandra said I smell delicious!  I would like this scent in some body lotion and looking forward to the next soap/splash/bath bar.
 

RR For New York Shave Soap

CRSW / Sandalwood

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Brooks Brothers shaving soap (vintage)