What soap/cream did you use today?

Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux Yuzu Rose Patchouli

Stirling Soap Co. - Texas on Fire

                                         

You sir, are THE MAN!  I like this flavor to (so hopefully I'm a man also.)

I wasn't aware but I guess this one is a little polarizing. Actually to be honest while I love scents it's not really a must for me shaving wise. I usually just reserve the scented soaps for head shaves so it's not right under my nose and I just catch a nice whiff once in a while. It is nice following along here though on what excites and evokes memories..

Chiseled Face - Pine Tar

                                            

It was a sad day when Geo F Trumper reformulated an awesome soap into something several rungs down the ladder.  The tallow soap was legendary.  The potassium palmate as first ingredient was very nice.  This sodium palmate first ingredient is a big ol waste of dollars given the much better choices we have today.  The soap is slick but the lather is almost nonexistent.  Even with the reformulations of the soap, the scents are KILLER and rather than turn this puck of sandalwood into bath soap I grated it 2/3 to 1/3 Vitos and wow did that work.  The old Vitos is all but scent less meaning I get the scent and slickness I love from the Trumpers and the cushion it lacks from the Vitos.  Loads easy. Performs flawlessly.  Smells like a most awesome sandalwood.  Just sad I have to fix what Trumpers broke all on their own.  Would I buy current trumpers only to have to “Doctor” it into something useable?  Probably not (but Eucris is calling my name), but if you have a puck that won't lather but you love the scent, mix in some unscented soap to get performance where it should have been.  I have another trumpers puck I'll do this with once my performing puck of Violets wears out.  Great shave no thanks to Trumpers.

Chiseled Face - Pine Tar

                                            

You gotta tell me more about this soap! How strong is the scent?  Is it really pine tar or does it smell more like asphalt?  I am jonesing for a pine tar shaving soap since I got ahold of Razormaster's Toivo.  Chiselled Face used to distribute it but don't anymore.  Perhaps this one would cure my itch?  (Because it's all about me.)

B&M Cheshire

Crabtree & Evelyn Sienna shaving soap (vintage) 

Always a great shave with this soap. Scent is amazing!

Bay Rum t. (Barrister & Mann) bay rum

I dug this soap out of its plastic tub and mashed it into a little hand-carved bowl I found at a local market. It has no lid, so the scent of the bay, orange, and rum will fill the bathroom, and it will encourage me to take it up more often. There’s really something about a wooden bowl that enhances the whole shave. You focus more on the scent than on the label. And the wood feels warm as it settles into the palm of your hand while you load your brush. I’ll be moving more of my best soaps to these bowls.

   

GROOMING DEPT / Kairos 3.3

For the PREFACE, I don’t personally know Moe (GROOMING DEPT Owner), haven’t met him or spoken to him other than publicly in product threads and a couple quick emails in regards to shipping a sample of his new product.

You also need to know my writing is all over the place like my thought process so you might want to read slowly.  I write the way I speak, I can’t just say, yeah, it’s a good product purchase it, lol.
 
TO THE REVIEW….
 
About a couple months ago I was BUZZING with excitement over a new soap and splash release, NOT an ordinary release, a VERY SPECIAL RELEASE, a release just in time for the holiday spending frenzy.  ALL the super cool kids and nouveau riche were in deep discussion at EVERY shaving hang out on the internet.  Chatter of a new base and scent that will RAISE what has not risen in the Valley of Kings.  I aligned the stars for myself on this one; I was NOT going to miss this drop, the greatest SHAVING SOAP DROP of 2019!  
 
LOL, yep, they got me, I even waited downstairs in the lobby of my building checking the tracking every day, 4x a day and probably 4x per hour the day it was out for delivery!  Wasted no time, got my best soap killer (boar) brush, selected a razor, blade, ready to jump in the shower and RITUAL SHAVE on my day off of work! The selection of wares of course happened days prior to the “special” shaving soap arrival!  
 
Whipped up a real nice lather, I mean gorgeous, but wow, it seemed to disintegrate kinda fast and the thick layer I thought was going to provide that protective layer, you know, this new “miracle base,” it was NOT sticking to my face very well.  Know what?  I screwed it up; I think I used too much water?  No wait, perhaps too little water because, hmmmmm, because what?  Ok, let me start over.  Actually, let me grab a badger brush.  This very special release soap?  Yeah, it sucks; the only thing that was special was the price. And the smell, I didn’t even think about it because I was so preoccupied making excuses for NOT whipping up a proper lather.  The scent? HA. Grab a can of Endust or Pledge and there you have its scent.  In fact, spray those products on your face and shave, save yourself $60.  What product you ask, I can’t, I would have to live on Shaving Exile Island.  I don’t even know if I could approach the maker, my blatant honesty gets me into trouble, and my delivery; subtle as a train wreck.  HAS THIS DEBACLE HAPPENED TO ANY OF YOU?
 
Thank God my almost gone Grooming Department ANGEL was sitting in my shower from a shave 3 days prior.  Opened that up, whipped up a stellar lather, and went through with a beautifully scraped face, free of any hair and the stink of Endust. The scent of ANGEL is one of the best shaving soap fragrances ever to come to market.  Thank you GD for ANGEL (and Patchouli, Luxor, Ambrosia, Lime, Vetiver Nobile)!
 
Do any of you know why Moe doesn’t have 5000 splashes for use post shave?  It’s because AFTER you scrape your face FREE of ALL hair, it’s recommended, no, it’s a must….you take that beautiful textured leftover lather and coat your entire shaved face and neck. The secret sauces in GROOMING DEPT shaving soaps are cosmetic grade materials.  No seriously, you slather the leftover lather on your face and you leave that sit on your face/neck for a good 5 minutes.  Splash your hot or cold water rinse and go about your routine.  I only use toner/witch hazel 2x per week and then Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream. 
 
……AND YET ON TO THE REVIEW FOR KAIROS
 
This review isn’t about either of the soaps mentioned above.  This review is about a NEW Grooming Dept Base/Soap coming soon! The name of the product is KAIROS.  Is the base called Kairos or is the finished product called Kairos?  Good question, it’s my opinion Kairos will make its debut as is and Moe will hopefully use the Kairos base with other essential oils for different fragrance releases. I was VERY fortunate to have been selected to try something new that has not been released. But why all the drama above about a soap/splash I can’t name?  Because that wonderful special release with all the hoopla should have been for the 2020 Release of GD KAIROS!  This is one of the most special croaps I’ve ever used, and I’ve got a few soaps and creams in my bathroom (sorry, I don’t like the word DEN).  
 
With a couple simple directions from Moe; “don’t use a PRE shave product, don’t use a POST shave product, Put it in its own vessel, and don’t be afraid to splash some water in, it will be a little thirsty.”   I have a problem following directions but when it comes to shaving I follow the rules.  
 
3 weeks ago, I received the KAIROS sample in the mail.  No fireworks, no crazy waiting with the doorman in the lobby, just a nice bubble wrapped sample tin.
 
First impression upon opening the tin, “The Scent.”  For “ME” KAIROS is an unscented VERY VERY faint Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Honeysuckle herbaceous scent.  AND I DO MEAN faint.  At first I was like oh wow, unscented, like CLARUS.  On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the strongest scent possible, this is a 1.  You unscented people are going to LOVE this product.  For the longest time I was SCENT DRIVEN, still am, BUT this Grooming Dept product is special, it’s very different, it’s not like other products Moe has put out.
 
I can’t get into the technical aspect of KAIROS as I don’t know cosmetics chemistry.  After using it 5x in the last 3 weeks I can tell you my face is very hydrated and I’ve been in some very harsh climate.  Direct Sun, reflective sun off snow on ski slopes, sweat, sauna/steam and WIND.  Face feels fantastic.  I read somewhere that shaving soap “is not a work of art.”  Although true, some of us care about the Aging Process more so than others.  I have to be in front of important people from time to time (I report directly to a British Lord) so being fresh and my best self is attributed to good grooming practices and products.  You know, The Ritual of MAN.  
 
I’m a very wasteful person.  I definitely overload my brushes with soap.  KAIROS is best suited for face lathering, however to be fair, I’ve been out of town for 2 weeks and face lathering is all I could really do.  KAIROS was the only product I had with me and looking back, it was the only product I needed.  No pre or post product needed other than my face lotion and some SPF. After brush loading, I usually face lather in circles; KAIROS begins a little thin but once the water from my shower hit it, WOW, the lather would not stop forming; and it’s a thick protective lather, simple to work with.  The first pass of any shave is THE most important, is it not? The old timers are reading this and are going to give it to me I’m sure.  FOR ME, first pass and detail are most important.  Face Lathering KAIROS was a huge hit for me.  Brushes (boar, badger, synth) loaded like a dream and would not stop consistently producing the same gorgeous lather.  
 
This lather is VERY long lasting, coated my face after each shave for 5-10 minutes whilst cleaning up my razors and brush. This is a Grooming Dept soap, you use the lather like a mask after your shave and you will get ZERO irritation and impeccable hydration.  Get your money’s worth out of the product here Gents.  
 
In terms of slickness, INCREDIBLE.  I critique the SLICKNESS of EVERY soap/cream off 1 thing: “Phantom Lather.”  Can you make a second pass with your razor after your initial pass?  With KAIROS absolutely.  I’m a 1-2 pass and detail shaver.  A few of my razors require a slow skilled hand, like a level 3 CG, a straight or an iKon Shavecraft Tech.  One does NOT speed shave with those.  KAIROS is in the Top 5 of my slickest shaving soaps/creams, it’s a TOP TIER performer.  I got the same Baby Smooth Face (BSF) after every shave, zero hot spots, well hydrated skin and it did NOT matter if I used a mild or aggressive instrument.
 
Scent….I’ve got to touch on this once more.  KAIROS has such a faint floral scent, it’s unscented. No matter what, I’m purchasing Kairos.  It will be the Shaving Soap to crush in 2020.  DRAGONSBEARD pummeled everything I used in 2019, it was my breakout soap of 2019 and is used minimally 1 out of every 5 shaves respectfully.  Some 2019 soaps were amazing on scent, short on performance, lacking in hydration, whatever.  KAIROS is going to be a major hit amongst the people who LOVE/REQUIRE an unscented or Folks who like simple and VERY lite scents.  Personally/Selfishly, I’m hoping Moe uses this beast of a base with some strong scents too.  I’d like to see a Kairos based LIME, Citrus, Orange Blossom or deep dark Sandalwood with Clove, Oud and Vanilla.  Either way, KAIROS is a brilliant performer and does good things for your skin.  with that said, my focus in 2020 will be products that do good things for my skin.  GROOMING DEPT Kairos has now set the bar....

BRUSHES USED WITH KAIROS: