Love spice bomb but always felt that it while its a beautiful warm spice scent, it lacked a fuller body. Something to back that spice and leather.
So I asked Irena of Ginger’s Garden if she could make a custom scent, combining an already earthy scent of Dragon’s Blood with Spice bomb.
And we get Dragon Spice.

Wearing this for the day and I’ll see how it goes.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Pre-shave : Shower (Dragon Spice bath soap), Bluebeard’s Revenge pre-shave oil
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy Dual Band Manchurian Badger by Frank Shaving
• Soap : Ginger’s Garden Dragon Spice
• Razor : Rockwell 6S-R4 w/Supermax Diamond Blade (3)
• Post shave : Ginger’s Garden Dragon Spice Aftershave lotion and Balm
• Others : Ginger’s Garden Dragon Spice Solid Perfume and Roll-on perfume Oil

• 

• 

Mail call from Irena, there was a little accident but luckily she taped the cap and I managed to salvage most if not all of the roll-on’s contents.
Mail came while I was shaving though, so I’ll need to shave with it in the morning to get a better feel of the scent.
Though, judging from the scent from the leakage, I like!

Evening shave was with PAAs’ Planet Phoenix soap that came with the travel scuttle.
Anyone else shaved with it yet?
My first impression was “Boozy Copalli and Blood Orange” or “Bourbon woods with a touch orange / blood orange”.
What about you guys? What did it remind you of?

Sage! Herbalicious sage!
Love this scent but still debating on the EDP.
Might bite on a solid cologne though had there been one available.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy Dual Band Manchurian Badger by Frank Shaving
• Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA’s The Cube Mentholated
• Soap : PAA’s Solstice
• Razor : PAA’s Copper Ascension DOC w/ Supermax Diamond Blade (1)
• Post Shave : PAA’s Solstice Star Jelly Aftershave, Aftershave and Cologne
• Others : PAA’s Solstice Deodorant

So you live in the tropics (or its Summer / still too effing hot) and you want a really cool shave.
You already have the software and have ground in extra menthol but you want to take it up a level, what do you do?
You make your lather in a scuttle that has been sitting in the fridge for the past half hour filled with ice cold water!

And if you are wondering, yes it feels damn fracking good! At least in this heat.

PAA’s travel scuttle is not exactly a large “bowl” but it is deep so generating lather and keeping it in is fine as long as you aren’t using a huge brush, otherwise you’ll have the same issue with shallower bowls, you’ll be pushing lather out and over the rim instead of generating and keeping it all in.

PAA’s scuttle is not the “best” bowl out there, but it does the job, should be able to take some punishment and though I am pretty sure if you drop it filled from waist height, you are going to crack it open rendering it useless until you find a way to repair it.
This is however just my fear speaking and not something that I have tested out.

I can tell you right now though, that my evening shaves will not be the same.
ICE COLD LATHER BABY!!

• Bowl : PAA’s Travel Scuttle
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Pre-Shave : Cold Shower, Proraso Green Pre-shave
• Soap : Proraso Green Shaving Cream
• Razor : Vikings Blade The Emperor Augustus w/Lord Platinum Blade (4)
• Post Shave : Proraso Green Aftershave splash, Prep
• Others : Salt Grinder with Menthol Crystals

Back to an oldie.
One of my favorites. Scent on this is awesome.

The Single Edge line or Professional line has better slickness and residual slickness, though post shave is about the same as the regular creams and soaps.
Still a good one to use.
And surprisingly one locally available.
Have to admit though, once I use up the pre-shave, I’ll be using the Cube.
Its hard to beat the cube as a pre-shave.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Pre-Shave : Shower, Proraso Wood and Spice Pre-shave
• Soap : Proraso Wood and Spice Shave Cream
• Razor : PAA’s Copper Ascension DOC w/Lord Platinum (3)
• Post Shave : Proraso Wood and Spice Balm
• Others : Davidoff Amber Blend EDP

Enigma is one of my top favorite scents in both soap and personal grooming. And yes, that’s even comparing it to “Designer Houses” like Gucci, Dior, Bvlgari, Davidoff, Channel and others.
As with shaving, the term YMMV holds true, since what you are going to smell like is a very very personal affair, Enigma hits many of the right notes for me.

Pine, Cedar, Amber, Sandalwood, Patchouli and Vanilla with skin safe scented notes of Marshmallow, Musk, Brown Sugar and Coconut

Love smelling good along with a great shave from a really good shaving product.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Oumo SHD Silvertip Badger
• Pre-Shave : Shower, Bluebeard’s Revenge Pre-Shave Oil
• Soap : Ginger’s Garden Enigma
• Razor : Rockwell 6S-R4 w/Lord Platinum Blade (1)
• Post Shave : Ginger’s Garden Enigma Aftershave Lotion and Balm
• Others : Ginger’s Garden Enigma Solid Cologne

Van Yulay’s Black Dragon evokes some of the best scent images for me. Earthy, rich, deep wood resin, with grapefruit and blood orange giving it a very bold scent.
Lather and performance is like most of Monica’s soaps is top notch, great slickness, great residual and post shave will make any shave very enjoyable.

Paired it with Davidoff’s Amber Blend.
Nutmeg, cinnamon, warm amber, sandalwood notes meshes so well with Black dragon turning the scent into something very sensual, very sexy.
Love this combo.
Go easy on the EDP, its 10/10 on strength, projection and longevity, you can easily overpower a room if you go nuts with the application … but it is a very, very beautiful spiced amber scent.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Pre-shave : Shower, Bluebeard’s Revenge Pre-Shave Oil
• Soap : Van Yulay’s Black Dragon
• Razor : PAA’s Copper Ascension DOC w/Supermax Diamond Blade
• Post Shave : Van Yulay’s Black Dragon Aftershave and Balm
• Others : Davidoff Amber Blend EDP

Blue Fougere’s scent definitely has that Dior DNA and I do think that it was meant to be closer to Dior Sauvage due to its slight pepper notes but for today, I thought I’d pair it with Dior’s Dior Homme EDT’s cardamom, iris and vetiver scent.
Blue Fougere could swing both ways I think, since its not a perfect take on Sauvage being more fougere.
YMMV.

PAA’s Ascension and the Supermax Diamond Blade (third use) gave a great glass BBS shave.
I know the Supermax Diamonds in the past had some bad QC issues but these new repackaged (new box art) blades are performing beyond expectations for me. Still smooth, and not leaving micro stubble behind.
Good stuff.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Oumo SHD Silvertip Badger
• Soap : Razorock Blue Fougere
• Razor : PAA’s Copper Ascension w/Supermax Diamond Blade (3)
• Post shave : Razorock Blue Fougere Aftershave, Prep
• Others : Dior Homme EDT

Oud.
Agar wood resin is a wonderful and very old scent base used in scents especially in the east and only recently crossed over to the west.
Creed’s Royal Oudh carries that Middle Eastern DNA of oud and spice and Monica’s take on it is pretty much spot on.
(I need to remember to get her Cologne for this one)

The good news or perhaps bad for Creed is that the scent DNA has been in use by Arabian / Middle Eastern perfumers and while today I am using an Attar roll on made in the West in Canada, you can buy “Royal Oud” oils and attars from Middle Eastern scent houses that are more “loud” and more heavily spiced, in their presentation of that scent DNA.

Its a damn fine scent.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA’s The Cube Mentholated
• Soap : Van Yulay Royal Oudh
• Razor : Rockwell 6S-R4 w/Supermax Diamond Edge Blades
• Post Shave : Van Yulay’s Royal Oudh Aftershave and Balm
• Others : Perfumery Oil’s Creed Royal Oudh Impression

… tobacco, then added some cherry, vanilla, patchouli, cloves, and other spices.

Really love WSP’s stuff.
So far I have only three of their soaps and scents and they are 3/3 hitting each out of the ball park.
Blackbeard’s scent profile is loud, masculine and full of zest and life. Tobacco forward, cherry and vanilla riding strong with the wind on their backs and earthy patchouli and spices add depth to the scent.
This is not a gentle flower.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Pre-Shave : Shower, Bluebeard’s Revenge Pre-Shave Oil
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Soap : WSP’s Rustic Blackbeard
• Razor : Rockwell 6S-R4 w/Bic Platinum (5)
• Post Shave : WSP’s Blackbeard’s Aftershave Balm and Aftershave Splash
• Others : WSP’s Blackbeard’s Solid Cologne