What soap/cream did you use today?

Stirling Bergamot Lavender

No. 88 t. (Czech & Speake) musty rose

This one strikes me as a fruity rose. Along with the floral notes, I get plums and melons and a pinch of raspberry. But the thing is, there’s this musty note mixed in with all the tasty bits. It kind of reminds me of a basket of fresh fruit that’s been sitting out too long and has turned a little fuzzy. I wonder what I’m smelling? Sandalwood? Cassis? Nothing wrong with the performance. You can romp all over your face with a heavy razor and a sharp blade and come away with nothing but a smile.
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Merkur Classic 1904 (42C) ・ Gillette Nacet ・ Phoenix Shaving Peregrino ・ Tauer: ɸ Une Rose de Kandahar ・ YTD: 208g

To me #88 has always smelled more like Lavender

I completely agree with you. I can hear lavender. And I can’t understand where the rose comes from.

Scent perception is a strange thing. We all sniff in the same molecules, but we make sense of them in different ways. For instance, I get a ton of lavender when I smell Czech & Speake's other soap, Oxford & Cambridge, but I don't catch even a whiff of lavender in No. 88. I do, however, pick up lots of geranium, which can smell similar to lavender. 

So what did the perfumer really dump into this fragrance? When I write my soap notes, I often cheat by visiting basenotes.com to look up the scent pyramid for the fragrances I'm interested in. Here's how they describe No. 88:

Concurred re 88 but barely catch a waft of lavender when sampling Oxford/Cambridge, and then only when reclined in a field of lavender. Well and truly, Oxford/Cambridge one of the most disappointing scents ever to my perspective

Bouki, if you are looking for another rose scented soap, I would heartily recommend this Caties Dirty Prose. It is rose sure enough but a Rose dancing a slow Rumba with a very masculine Vetiver. In fact this is masculine enough to perhaps be a stomping, testosterone injected Paso Doble! There is not a single hint of Granny. In fact I’m told Granny is hiding in her room crying because she can’t find her dance shoes. A most awesome scent!

My wife was looking over my shoulder as I read your review, Lipripper660. I had to pick her up off the floor, she was laughing so hard. This is one of your gems! Thanks.

And thanks for recommending Dirty Prose. That's sounds like the sort of scent that would send a tingle down an English teacher's spine. I better research this one!

Stirling Piacenza [ADP Colonia]
Ethos Grooming AFS is really really close to the classic ADP Colonia-just slightly less herbal, with a bit more lemon. It has the signature powdery drydown and the soapiness that we all enjoy from this Italian gem. Stirling hits it perfectly as well.

88 degrees in Dallas - 2 pass DFS!

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Rose v. (Martin de Candre) pale lemony rose

I noticed today, for the first time, a lemony note in this rose. Has it been there all along? I don’t know, but it certainly gave a boost to this somewhat drab scent. In seeking to make a manly rose, Martin de Candre stripped away lots that make rose interesting, like the juicy or spicy or boozy notes. What’s left is a pale, somewhat dusty rose with a hint of lemon blossom swirling around. Let’s hope as I dig deeper into this jar, more interesting bits will come to the surface.
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1952 Gillette Super Speed ・ Astra SP ・ Phoenix Shaving Peregrino ・ Cartier: Déclaration d’un Soir ・ YTD: 209g

   

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