Apple, Fig and Cranberry pie!
On top of the prominent notes, you’d get a little hint of brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla I think, not sure as the apple and cranberry pretty much steamrolls everything else.
If you buy this, DO NOT SKIP the aftershave balm.
Balm smells so good!

And I see where Soap Commander was going with this one. Perhaps thinking “American as Apple Pie!” and adding Fig and Cranberry to flesh out supporting notes that came together to make a really beautiful scent.
Well done.

Going with the R5 base plate was the right move for this razor / blade combo, got to love the Rockwell 6S/C for that versatility.
People still comment that its not a true adjustable, that is true, but it is essentially 5 (not counting the Training Wheels base plate) Razors sold for the price of one and you can’t fault it for value.

Got my BBS for the evening, probably leaving me very little to take off in the morning “rush” to get ready for work, maybe with a little easy XTG, ATG cleanup.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Pre-shave : Shower
• Soap : Soap Commander Unity (9/11 Tribute)
• Razor : Rockwell 6S-R5 w/Astra Stainless Steel (2) (blade not pictured)
• Post Shave : Thayers Witch Hazel Lemon, Soap Commander Unity Aftershave Balm

There are lots of reasons to use a scuttle.
You may want warm or cold lather, for that extra luxury or like me sometimes you just want to give a boost when making lather to get a good whiff of the scent when essential oils hit a warm / hot surface.
Highly recommend frag heads to get one.

Today’s soap didn’t disappoint, Cedar and Saffron are the main notes and comes off strong because of the scuttle and is right up my alley when it comes to a good, deep, man’s scent. There was also the barest hints of fruit, almost like blackcurrant and apple in there too, but that could be just my nose reading the blended notes.
Very enjoyable.

Been a while since I reached for Thayers.
And I think I should have used the R4 plate as I had to settle for a damn fine shave, not true BBS unfortunately.
These Astra blades are a hit and miss for me and I will probably go higher with the R5 maybe this evening to see how it goes.

• Bowl : PAA’s Travel Scuttle
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Pre-shave : other than a shower, none
• Soap : Soap Commander Gratitude (9/11 commemorative soap limited edititon)
• Razor : Rockwell 6S-R3 w/Astra Stainless Steel (1)
• Post shave : Thayer Witch Hazel Lemon, Soap Commander Gratitude Aftershave Balm

Felt like going a little “Blue” today, and go aquatic.
2nd time on the Sea Farer, still think that they scent is a little light but it goes well with the aquatic scent I have chosen for today.

• Bowl : PAA’s Travel Scuttle
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy Dual Band Manchurian Badger by Frank Shaving
• Soap : Zingari Man’s The Sea Farer (sample)
• Razor : PAA’s Copper Ascension w/Astra Stainless Steel (1)
• Post Shave : Reuzel Aftershave Splash
• Others : Bvlgari Aqva Atlantiqve EDT

Going back to the rotation and going back to oldies I have that I haven’t used in a while, and just going use and clear them to make space for new stuff.
Proraso’s Pre-shave cream for example.
It is pretty hard to justify them after using PAA’s Cube which does a better job at almost 1/3 of the price.

Finally got around to test buy a Dua fragrance.
Lots of controversy going on with them, with fragrance purist complaining that they are essentially pirates / re-sellers / re-branders who don’t do their own juice to people like me who don’t appreciate Designer / Niche houses charging upwards of US$400-600 for 100ml on top of “reformulating” products to maximize profit at the cost of customer satisfaction (YSL’s La Nuit De L’Homme / Issey Miyake Pour Homme) turning great performing products into something that are shadows of their past selves.

Dua BTW is not “cheap”, not at $40-$55 a pop per 30ml bottle. To be fair they give you Parfum quality juice but they are by no means cheap.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Pre-Shave : Shower, Proraso Cypress and Vetyver Pre-shave cream
• Soap : Proraso Cypress and Vetyver shaving cream
• Razor : Rockwell 6S-R4 w/Astra Stainless Steel (1)
• Post Shave : Proraso Cypress and Vetyver Balm
• Others : Dua’s Bois Précieux et Épices (Creed’s Spice and Woods)

The nice thing about a scent that is all base notes is that it will probably blend well with most other scents.
Scent layering isn’t new, and while often enough, you will get disastrous results, sometimes they come off really well.

Tag teaming Supreme Sandalwood Science with Davidoff’s Amber Blend EDP turned what was a sweet, spiced scent into something quite a different.
Amber Blend gained a darker, harder layer, almost an edge, while retaining it’s sweet sensuous aroma with notes of nutmeg and rum popping in and out.

Today’s shave smells epically awesome!
Will be interesting to wear this for the day.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA’s The Cube Mentholated
• Soap : PAA’s Supreme Sandalwood Science
• Razor : PAA’s Copper Ascension DOC w/Astra Stainless Steel
• Post Shave : PAA’s Supreme Sandalwood Science Star Jelly and Aftershave Cologne
• Others : Davidoff Amber Blend EDP

Soap scent is not a perfect match to the 2015 Dior Sauvage release, more in between Eau Savauge and 2015 Sauvage.
Still sets up the shave well enough.
Was an enjoyable shave.

Had to run with a R5 plate with the Rapira Swedish SuperSteel blades.
These Rapiras are a 1 or 2 use blades for me, needing extra multiple passes if I went with a less aggressive approach.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy Dual Band Manchurian Badger by Frank Shaving
• Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA’s The Cube Mentholated
• Soap : Van Yulay Gentle Sauvage
• Rockwell 6S-R5 w/Rapira Blade (2)
• Post Shave : Van Yulay Gentle Sauvage’s Aftershave Balm and Aftershave Splash
• Others : Van Yulay Gentle Sauvage Deodorant and Dior Sauvage Eau De Parfum

Love WSP’s Green Irish Tweed inspired offering.
For a frag head like me, WSP’s scent strength and accuracy to the original from soap to aftershave splash to balm and finally EDP brings that certain kind of joy that you only get from experiencing quality, well made fragrances.

Last time, I used Al Haramain’s L’Aventure Knight which had that very light bergamot and tea twinge addition to the GIT DNA, while WSP’s EDP, from memory is truer to the original, though I have to admit, its been a while since I have smelled the “true” version.

To be honest, if I have to choose, L’Aventure Knight wins because I think the scent is smoother, with the slight tea note calming the iris down a little and that the juice is much more affordable. (US40.00+/- before shipping)

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy Dual Band Manchurian Badger by Frank Shaving
• Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA’s TheCube Mentholated
• Soap : WSP’s Gaelic Tweed
• Razor : PAA’s Copper Ascension DOC w/Treet Black Beauty (1)
• Post Shave : WSP’s Gaelic Tweed Aftershave Tonic, Aftershave Balm
• Others : WSP’s Gaelic Tweed EDP

Off day shave means that I get to use my evening rotation soaps during the day.
Blade and Razor didn’t quite mesh, not the razor’s fault as it is a recreation of the DE89 without some of the more annoying quirks that the DE89 had but it is a mild shave. Would have fared better with a sharper blade like a Feather or Bic.
Did not get a true BBS but didn’t want to chase, it’s a “close enough” shave for the morning.
I’ll go more aggressive later in the evening.

Though Ambition is a lightly scented soap with Verbena giving off Green Irish Tweed vibes, it is its own animal with a very light citrus opening (hardly detectable, its there and gone) and sandalwood (could not detect this) as the soap’s base.
Unlike some of Soap Commander’s other soaps, its Scent is very light and won’t carry past your shave so its perfect for a before bedtime shave or if you want to use your own scented products post shave.

Would prefer if Soap Commander up Ambition’s scent strength a few notches though.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy G4 Synthetic by Frank Shaving
• Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA’s The Cube Mentholated
• Soap : Soap Commander Ambition
• Razor : Razorock MJ-90A w/Treet Black Beauty (1)
• Post Shave : Soap Commander Ambition Balm

I don’t usually post my evening shaves, but damn, Himitsu is one of my favorites for my evening shaves.
Beautiful, beautiful lemon and rose centric scent that stays with you for hours. Love it! Just effing Love it!
Seriously, if you guys haven’t smelt this, or have never tried it and you like fresh florals, you owe it to yourself to get a sample of this. Its too bad Don doesn’t have AS samples to sell as his aftershave, especially this one, is fracking amazeballs awesome.

Having used more then several of these Treet blades over several shaves now, this settles it, I originally didn’t think that I would need a balm, but damn the Treet Black Beauties when they go bad, go bad in a bad way.

For me they are good for 2 shaves. 3 should be ok but going on 4 or up, if you have thick wiry growth, you’ll probably have a bad blade by then.
Your Milage May Vary of course.

Face felt a little more raw then usual so I pulled out PAAs’ Mysterium Serum for quick heal skin food.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy Dual Band Manchurian Badger by Frank Shaving
• Preshave : Shower
• Soap : Wet The Face’s Himitsu
• Razor : Rockwell 6S-R4 w/Treet Black Beauty (4)
• Post Shave : Wet The Face’s Himitsu Aftershave , PAA’s Mysterium Serum

Didn’t think I would reach for this one this soon but, holy crap, the mix of Dragonblood and Spice Bomb speaks to me like a Kitsune whispering promises of pleasures she would give, teasing, sensual, alluring.
I can’t help myself.

Which is probably why I have a harem of scents to choose from.

• Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
• Brush : Friendship Shaving’s Macy Dual Band Machurian Badger by Frank Shaving
• Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA’s The Cube Mentholated
• Soap : Ginger’s Garden’s Dragon Spice
• Razor : Rockwell 6S-R4 w/Treet Black Beauty (3)
• Post Shave : Ginger’s Garden’s Dragon Spice Balm and Aftershave Lotion
• Ohers : Ginger’s Garden Dragon Spice Perfume Roll-On and Solid Perfume