What soap/cream did you use today?

Grooming Dept Pasión
Kairos + Lamb Tallow + Emu Oil
Scent Notes: - Pear, Ginger, Tuberose, Narcissus, Hay, Honey, Amber, Leather, Patchouli, Musks.

Now that he is in his new Santa Rosa digs, Mo has been producing some stellar soaps. This includes new Mallard base soaps. Every once in a while, Mo will combine bases for limited edition soaps and Pasión is an example of that. This one combines the beef tallow Kairos base with lamb tallow and adds the newest magic shaving soap ingredient, emu oil. I know of perhaps two other soaps now incorporating emu oil (A&E/The Club K2e and Van Yulay). Emu oil purportedly enhances post shave feel.

There are several recent contenders for best soap base, each of which has its own group of supporters. At the very least, these bases include B&M Omnibus, A&E/The Club K2e, Ethos F Base and Grooming Dept Mallard. Stirling mutton tallow is also worthy of mention. This is an embarrassment of riches.

Subject to a certain amount of hyperbole among Grooming Dept cognoscenti, Pasión arrives with high expectations (best GD base ever). I am not sure that I am worthy, given that I am a card-carrying member of the hoi-polloi. All I know is that I thoroughly enjoyed my initial foray into this high atmosphere. This is a very good shaving soap. For me, however, the real star of the show is the scent. Consulting the scent notes I sensed pear and florals--these notes gently filled the bathroom. The scent is delicate and beautifully crafted.

I’ve only seen the bottom of one tub of Stirling.  In fact it was one of the first soaps I purchased when returning to traditional shaving many many years ago.  I finished that tub of Margaritas in the Arctic and am half way through its replacement.  I picked up this tub of Gin and Tonic in Provo Utah at a place called Mini Moustachery and I have to say, the scent is just amazing.  If you like juniper, this is your vehicle baby!  Put some citrus on top of the juniper and this soap and aftershave are challenging for “favorite scent” honors.  Now if Rod would just put this in the sheep soap line up it’d win hands down.  I feel smooth, refreshed, and invigorated.  (No, it’s not boozy).

ABSOLUTELY a GREAT scent ! I got a sample and while NOT adding more soaps to the den until reduction happens, I did order this full tub with the slight menthol "On the Rocks" Hey, we agree on something

I’ve only seen the bottom of one tub of Stirling.  In fact it was one of the first soaps I purchased when returning to traditional shaving many many years ago.  I finished that tub of Margaritas in the Arctic and am half way through its replacement.  I picked up this tub of Gin and Tonic in Provo Utah at a place called Mini Moustachery and I have to say, the scent is just amazing.  If you like juniper, this is your vehicle baby!  Put some citrus on top of the juniper and this soap and aftershave are challenging for “favorite scent” honors.  Now if Rod would just put this in the sheep soap line up it’d win hands down.  I feel smooth, refreshed, and invigorated.  (No, it’s not boozy).

Great looking brush Lip!

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My kid made that one for me.

Grooming Dept Mallard.

What do I know, but after a 3-5 shaves with each base, I find regular Kairos and Nai both better than new Mallard. Subject to change based on moon phase, barometric pressure, and Earth's distance to Neptune.

My delivery of Pàsion is due tomorrow.

Palmolive Menthol Shaving Cream

Fresco (Ethos) minty lime basil
Shave 3 ・ 130 g left

Oh! I finally get it … the uncommon devotion Ethos inspires in its users. This is really good stuff, but it took a few shaves to figure that out. Yesterday’s lather was overwatered. True, it was slick as all get out, but I wasn’t feeling that thin layer of fattiness that allows for safe buffing. Today I loaded a little more soap in my brush, and following Frank’s suggestion, I slapped it around my face with long painter strokes, adding water only when it felt pasty. The result? A much thinker, richer emulsion that fully supported my whim to buff my beard clean.

But that was only the beginning of the joy. Where Fresco really shines is how it leaves my face feeling about eight hours after I put my razor down. Gorgeous, healthy finish on this one. No heat, itch, tingling, or irritation of any sort, even when my beard starts growing back. And Frank says some of the best benefits are realized after using it for a few days in a row. You don’t have to twist my arm. This is going to be fun!
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Razor 1959 Gillette Tech ・ Blade Astra SP ・ Brush Phoenix Shaving Peregrino ・ Hoard 17,555 g ・ YTD 91 g

   

Grooming Dept Mallard.

What do I know, but after a 3-5 shaves with each base, I find regular Kairos and Nai both better than new Mallard. Subject to change based on moon phase, barometric pressure, and Earth's distance to Neptune.

My delivery of Pàsion is due tomorrow.

I have the same "what do I know" response to all of this. Sometimes, I wonder if I am merely parroting back what others, who appear to be knowledgeable, have said. A sort of confirmation bias. In the end, I know that 1) Grooming Dept makes really good soap; 2) Pasión is a really good shaving soap with a beautiful, to me, scent; and 3) Mohammed is getting incrementally better at this soap making thing. As to the rest of it--it truly is an embarrassment of riches. Who knows what truly is the best? What matters is what each of us happens to like. One other thing--mine was an initial impression. I like to have a higher number of shaves in with a particular soap to have a truly valid opinion.

I’ve only seen the bottom of one tub of Stirling.  In fact it was one of the first soaps I purchased when returning to traditional shaving many many years ago.  I finished that tub of Margaritas in the Arctic and am half way through its replacement.  I picked up this tub of Gin and Tonic in Provo Utah at a place called Mini Moustachery and I have to say, the scent is just amazing.  If you like juniper, this is your vehicle baby!  Put some citrus on top of the juniper and this soap and aftershave are challenging for “favorite scent” honors.  Now if Rod would just put this in the sheep soap line up it’d win hands down.  I feel smooth, refreshed, and invigorated.  (No, it’s not boozy).

Great looking brush Lip!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

My kid made that one for me.

Classic

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