I know! It’s been a while since I’ve posted but life gets busy sometimes. I’ve been using Black Ties Sandalwood, Avenue, and Drake. First off, it’s good to see Sir Henrys roll the Black Tie logo out again. Seems like an old friend returned. Performance of the soap is just so good. Easy to load/lather and so protective.
I love the AOS sandalwood scent and would in fact place it in my favorite of all time so with the demise of the scent from Fine and the lack of a splash or cologne from Art of Shaving I was thrilled to see this effort and a good effort it is. I have no idea how one goes about building fragrances but what I will share is that Dominick is in my top three scentmeisters. He doesn’t offer a slew of scents but all the scents he offers really appeal to me. This offering does an admirable job of duplicating this discontinued fragrance and I’m glad I have this option when my current stash of juice runs out. Love that anise note! It’s not exact, and it seems to have a broader floral mid-note but it’s close and I’m happy.
I bought this for my son who really digs Aventus. I find Aventus a little to uni-sex for my taste but really like the Smokey Pineapple note. Well, Dom surprised me with this one for sure. 5he dry down reveals a masculine scent that Creed missed! I was so excited for the Sandalwood that liking this one this much surprised the snot out of me. Jr. Is going to have to get his own set because this one is a keeper.
And if Avenue was not a big enough surprise, Dom sent a knob of Drake in a baggy. Drake? Drakkar Noir? One of my least favorite scents of all time! And SURPRISE, I loved it! What I really didn’t like about Drakkar perfume is the heavy handed use of the rosemary. That damnable bottle I gave to my grandson smelled like someone thought that if a touch of rosemary is good than three gallons would be better. It was horrid. Dom still has that rosemary note but backed way off on the volume and wow, what a difference. If this is what Drakkar is supposed to smell like I’d have never ditched that bottle of juice. I really enjoyed this one which I find very odd after having started a thread bemoaning the birth of Drakkar.
I appreciated Dom giving me something to do with a couple of empty containers I’ve had laying around. The only thing I’d wish for was a sticker for sale that would allow me to professionally label the tub so I don’t have to whittle the box front off and glue it to the container lid.