Grooming Dept's latest drop featured a few different scents all in the upgraded Kairos SE base. Mo tweaked formula of the original base which i believed to be the best soap i've tried to date, and so i was skeptical this drop would be any better- after a few shaves with this base it's still the best soap i've used and it's better than the original version. I've been getting some killer shaves with this soap. Mo also developed splashes to go along with the scents, but more on that later.
The one significant upgrade was improvement in residual slickness. With many soaps, you scrape the lather off with the steel and you're left with bare skin- if you continue to pass the blade over the skin without lather you're going to run into problems. This soap leaves a slippery thin film after you've taken a pass with the blade- I've found this gives me some extra cushion in between the blade and my skin and the residual slickness allows me to continue passing the razor over my skin without having to reapply lather. Of course, this lather is so amazing why would you not re-apply it, two, three, 4 times, anyway? You can continue taking passes after the lather is gone without causing any irritation at all.
The other main difference is the lather is richer, more unctuous, and luxurious than the original formula- probably along the lines of marshmallow fluff. While i enjoy the lighter original Kairos SE as it felt quite soft on the face, this version still feels very soft and luxurious.
The post shave feel is still the best i've encountered- i don't need any balm or aftershave. The skin feels soft, supple, and like a sheet of ice many hours after the shave and probably into the next day. This soap is spectacular so if you're able to treat yourself to a soap these are the ones to get.
The scent i purchased was Luxor. I was pretty undecided about which one to get (i would buy them all if i could), but i limited myself to one set- i chose Luxor (with the help of @RayClem) and it's pretty amazing. The scent notes are Mandarin, Fruit Accord, Spices, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Vetiver. The fruit accord is a mixture of sweet fruits- i get lots of strawberries and maybe some apricots. There is a mandarin accord right on the top of it all and it's all chained together with a soapy creamy vetiver scent. To be honest, i probably would have been very happy with any of the scents- Mo is very good at what he does and i've not been disappointed at all since i've been blind purchasing his soaps.
I believe Mo is sending some of these scents out to stockists pretty soon (Pasteur and TRC) but i don't know which scents will make it...maybe all?
The Aftershave splash-
It's interesting. It's not a traditional splash. There is no refreshing feeling of alcohol or menthol. It's not meant to be a refreshing cap to your shave. So if that's what you desire then this product is not for you. The purpose of it is 1. skin care and 2. to project the scents. It does both jobs very well, if you adjust your thinking on what an aftershave is supposed to be. I don't particularly enjoy the initial 'gel' feeling of the splash but it dries down amazingly and leaves your skin feeling like a newborn's. The splash is quite thick and gel like, probably in between an alcohol splash and a balm. It does not contain any alcohol. Again, its purpose is skin care and scent. I also hate the reducer it came with. I really have to shake the bottle hard to get any product out, but i guess that's OK because adding too much will make your skin feel tacky and won't dry properly.
The cost of a set if pretty high. I'm sure some may think it's not worth what it costs (the soap was $29 for a 4 oz tub), but i think it's the best you can get- if you want to treat yourself i'd recommend the soap- it's actually so good at post shave you don't even need to use a splash unless you want to keep the scent around even longer or apply it elsewhere.
The one significant upgrade was improvement in residual slickness. With many soaps, you scrape the lather off with the steel and you're left with bare skin- if you continue to pass the blade over the skin without lather you're going to run into problems. This soap leaves a slippery thin film after you've taken a pass with the blade- I've found this gives me some extra cushion in between the blade and my skin and the residual slickness allows me to continue passing the razor over my skin without having to reapply lather. Of course, this lather is so amazing why would you not re-apply it, two, three, 4 times, anyway? You can continue taking passes after the lather is gone without causing any irritation at all.
The other main difference is the lather is richer, more unctuous, and luxurious than the original formula- probably along the lines of marshmallow fluff. While i enjoy the lighter original Kairos SE as it felt quite soft on the face, this version still feels very soft and luxurious.
The post shave feel is still the best i've encountered- i don't need any balm or aftershave. The skin feels soft, supple, and like a sheet of ice many hours after the shave and probably into the next day. This soap is spectacular so if you're able to treat yourself to a soap these are the ones to get.
The scent i purchased was Luxor. I was pretty undecided about which one to get (i would buy them all if i could), but i limited myself to one set- i chose Luxor (with the help of @RayClem) and it's pretty amazing. The scent notes are Mandarin, Fruit Accord, Spices, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Vetiver. The fruit accord is a mixture of sweet fruits- i get lots of strawberries and maybe some apricots. There is a mandarin accord right on the top of it all and it's all chained together with a soapy creamy vetiver scent. To be honest, i probably would have been very happy with any of the scents- Mo is very good at what he does and i've not been disappointed at all since i've been blind purchasing his soaps.
I believe Mo is sending some of these scents out to stockists pretty soon (Pasteur and TRC) but i don't know which scents will make it...maybe all?
The Aftershave splash-
It's interesting. It's not a traditional splash. There is no refreshing feeling of alcohol or menthol. It's not meant to be a refreshing cap to your shave. So if that's what you desire then this product is not for you. The purpose of it is 1. skin care and 2. to project the scents. It does both jobs very well, if you adjust your thinking on what an aftershave is supposed to be. I don't particularly enjoy the initial 'gel' feeling of the splash but it dries down amazingly and leaves your skin feeling like a newborn's. The splash is quite thick and gel like, probably in between an alcohol splash and a balm. It does not contain any alcohol. Again, its purpose is skin care and scent. I also hate the reducer it came with. I really have to shake the bottle hard to get any product out, but i guess that's OK because adding too much will make your skin feel tacky and won't dry properly.
The cost of a set if pretty high. I'm sure some may think it's not worth what it costs (the soap was $29 for a 4 oz tub), but i think it's the best you can get- if you want to treat yourself i'd recommend the soap- it's actually so good at post shave you don't even need to use a splash unless you want to keep the scent around even longer or apply it elsewhere.
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