Items by Howard

Don McIvor is a local woodworker who sells shaving brushes and other turned objects from his website. He uses a natural finish that ages quite beautifully. When I took up wetshaving a few years ago, I figured I'd get a good brush to start with and not have to mess with buying any more. I got a $100 Dovo brush with an olivewood handle. It served me well, and still does. Not that it takes much of a brush for me to get a satisfying shave. I hold it under the faucet to fill it with hot...

I find myself putting it on when I have business meetings to attend. It is a serious, refined, businesslike scent. It’s described on the Brooks Brothers website as: My 6 oz. bottle, purchased some months ago, came with both a screw on top and a spray top. That was a nice touch for people who prefer splashing it on. I use the spray top. I get the powdery, leathery, and musky but I perceive little of the sweet. This scent is a sleeper, not sold by many merchants, but in my opinion...

Doc, Wyatt and I just got out from a shootout with the Clantons at farmer Jones' celery ranch. He grows the giant ones, you know, 10 feet high. There were blackpowder clouds aplenty, and splintered stalks of giant celery. The clouds of gunsmoke and celery were wafting over us till we ran out of ammo. Then we all sat down for a talk and decided we would meet again in the celery fields tomorrow.

I daresay that most of us have plenty of soaps appropriate for preparing ourselves for a visit to a house of ill repute. Rose, lavender, and violet scents abound. But what if your day’s agenda includes capping a burning oil well, or capturing a dangerous criminal? Will your present soaps really prepare you for a day of such “macho” pursuits? Would John Wayne use your soap? Grandpa’s Wonder Pine Tar Soap may be just what you need. I saw this in a catalog and just had to buy a few bars...

First introduced by Guerlain in 1904, as a more masculine counterpoint to the unisex Jicky. I find the two quite different. In particular, Mouchoir de Monsieur does not have the cloying milkiness that, for me, detracts somewhat from Jicky. Mouchoir de Monsieur is a complex composition. Civet is prominent, so be warned, those of you who do not care for the animalistic. Lavender and bergamot are prominent in the mix. Also apparently present are rose, jasmine, neroli, oakmoss, amber, vanilla...

Houbigant’s Fougere Royale, or Royal Fern is an important historical fragrance, unfortunately very hard to come by today. It was created in 1882 by Houbigant’s owner Paul Parquet. Several sources on the web list it as the first perfume containing a synthetic chemical to receive popular acclaim. That chemical was, I believe, coumarin. Coumarin is found naturally in lavender, clover, and tonka beans. The synthetic production of coumarin allowed greater control in creating the distinctive...

I was really looking forward to liking Pinaud Lilac Vegetal. Every spring I look forward to the blooming of the lilac bushes in my yard. I love to smell them in the early mornings after a run. I also like the smell of vegetation, be it the smell of my hands after weeding the garden, the smell of fresh mowed lawn, even the smell of decaying vegetation in a compost pile, wafted discretely on the wind, has a certain attraction. Ed Pinaud had a genius with scents, creating some masterpieces...

Le Dandy by D'Orsay was introduced in 1922, and recreated in 1998. I’m not sure how much relation the “recreation” bears to the 1922 original. This review is of the modern version. A retailer describes Le Dandy thusly “top notes of tobacco flower and whisky, the heart is spicy with ginger and the base notes are woody and balsamic.” Le Dandy is a hard one to describe. It is sweet. If I was going with the alcohol theme I would call it a brandy, with a hint of rose. Whereas some...

BEN MET ANNA /MADE A HIT/ NEGLECTED BEARD/ BEN-ANNA SPLIT THIS CREAM MAKES/ THE GARDENER'S DAUGHTER/ PLANT HER TU-LIPS/ WHERE SHE OUGHTER WITHIN THIS VALE/OF TOIL AND SIN/ YOUR HEAD GROWS BALD/ BUT NOT YOUR CHIN YOUR BEAUTY BOYS/ IS JUST SKIN DEEP/ WHAT SKIN YOU’VE GOT/ YOU OUGHT TO KEEP PEDRO WALKED/ BACK HOME BY GOLLY /HIS BRISTLY CHIN /WAS HOT-TO-MOLLY MEN WITH WHISKERS/ ‘NEATH THEIR NOSES/ OUGHTA HAVE TO KISS/ LIKE ESKIMOSES Burma-Shave developed one of the most...

Introduced in 1927 by Joseph Knize of Vienna, purveyor to the royal court. Top notes: bergamot, lemon, orange, petitgrain, rosemary. Middle notes: geranium, cedar, rose, orris, carnation, cinnamon, sandalwood. Base notes: leather, moss, amber, castoreum, vanilla. This stuff is potent! If you give yourself 2 or 3 close squirts from the atomizer you are likely to be in the shower a couple of hours later trying to scrub it off. I’ve finally settled on a single spray, directed towards...

First appearing around the early 1800’s, this distinctively American variant of the Eau de Cologne quickly became popular for a variety of uses. It has prominent floral and citrus notes. Many old formularies contain recipes for Florida water. Formulae may be found easily now on the internet. Although Florida Water was popular as a cologne and aftershave, it was also used for rubdowns, room freshener, added to the bath, scenting linens, etc.. Here is a typical old formula, from the...

Various manufacturers of leathers perfume their products. The smells we associate with leather come largely from these added perfumes, and not from the animal skin itself. It is our memories, and our previous associations with these leather products, that helps each of us identify a “leather” scent. Trumper has one of the most pleasing “leather” colognes. The manufacturer describes it as “A stimulating warm, woody fragrance with subtle notes of geranium, rose, clove bud, musk and...

An e-tailer lists “top notes of bergamot, lemon, and rosemary - plus a heart of clary sage, lily of the valley and jasmine, all resting on a base of precious woods.” Freshman is the oldest of the Truefitt & Hill men’s cologne lineup, having been created in 1815. It is also my favorite of the T&H colognes. It is light and breezy, but complex enough to be interesting. I don’t sense any obviously synthetic notes in Freshman, it just smells fresh and natural. The citrus and the herbs are well...

Eucris from Geo F. Trumper is one of my favorites. I haven’t run across anything else quite like it. Eucris is definitely masculine, and refined. I think it works better for an older man than a young one. The structure is complex and changes during the drydown. The manufacturer says “A sophisticated fragrance with top notes of blackcurrant, cumin and coriander, a heart of jasmine and muguet and base notes of sandalwood, musk and moss.” Eucris comes in a distinctive black bottle, with Geo...

Corn Husker’s Lotion (CHL) has been a standard on American drugstore shelves for decades. You can go down to your local drugstore today and pick up a 7 oz bottle for under $4. The label says it is a “Heavy Duty Hand Treatment,” and indeed it is, as vouched for by generations of hardworking outdoors people. However, it is also an effective aftershave balm. I use this after I shave and splash with witch hazel. I put just a tiny dab of CHL on my finger, dab it to each cheek and my neck, and...

4711 is a light Eu de Toilette with pleasing citrus and medicinal notes. It is refreshing, and it does not last long. One might bemoan its lack of longevity on the skin, or one may use it for those occasions where a temporary refreshment whose aftereffects fade quickly is desired. Apparently a number of people have that second viewpoint, as this concoction has been in production since 1792. The formula for this “aqua mirabilis” or miracle water was given by a Carthusian monk to a young...

Kananga water is an old formulation cologne used in magical rituals. Used primarily for purification and dealing with departed spirits. It is based on ylang ylang, and that seems to be the predominant scent. Various recipes are available in old formularies, and on the web, for making kananga water. Murray and Lanman market a current formulation in a plastic bottle with a baroque, old-style label. It runs about $5 for 4 oz. It is an simple, floral scent, without much complexity. However, it...