My new aftershave blend - out for testing.

[Graybeard57]

Razor - 1938 Sheraton
Blade - Timor
Brush - Omega 275
Soap - Mike's Lime
Aftershave - Sample A

Scent: Powdery, barbershop
Like/Dislike: Very much like it - I love barbershops soaps and AS
Reminds me of: 'Lectric Shave
Longevity: Still enjoying it 45 minutes later
Would I Make It: Maybe, but I don't usually do that
Recommend It: Absolutely
Performance: Perfect - light alcohol burn, brief cooling sensation, absorbs quickly
Skin Feel: Soft, supple, not sticky at all
Menthol: Light, but refreshing; nice amount

Like this AS splash very much. A definite keeper.

 

[Catalinbread]

Razor - Henckels Friodur Inox 472
Brush - 24mm WD High Mountain in aluminum handle I turned
Soap - Soap Commander Passion (yes I am STILL working on a couple of the large samples you sent me @Jaidmaster)
Splash - Blend "A"

Scent:
At first whiff I was expecting a mainly Brut like experience. But when splashed on it really opens up and to me has an immediate sporty and almost fougere like note to it that is really nice. It dries fairly quick and and it reminds me of Brut but there's a noticeable Clubman like powder and a bit of spiciness to it that complements it very well.
It's fairly strong but tames down as it dries and some musk or maybe some leather becomes apparent.

I shave at night so was only able to smell it for an hour or so before bed, but 12 hours later today I can still smell it on my hands after severals washings, and I can even rub my face now 18 hours later and pick up hints of it.

Performance:
Splashes are more important to my routine than ever. I almost feel like I've been cursed after participating in No Shave November as I've been having a hard time ever since getting a good shave. More irritation and having to buff many areas to get a close shave. Problems I haven't really had since I started using a brush, soap and DE.

This splash had a quick alcohol burn and I couldn't tell if there was just a very slight amount of menthol or just the alcohol evaporating was causing the quick cooling sensation. My skin felt a little tacky for a few minutes but afterwards felt nice and moisturized without being sticky or greasy.

Really interesting blend, would definitely recommend trying it and would use it again. Excited to give blend B a go tonight.

 

[Fordfather]

The original post has been amended to abide by the Site's Market Research policy.

 

[Catalinbread]

I actually had to look up to see if there was a difference between Brut AS and Splash on to see if this wasn't some kind of social experiment.

I'll post my review of blend B later tonight.

 

[OkieStubble]

The original post has been amended to abide by the Site's Market Research policy.

Great news! Thanks @fordfather!

 

[Doug57]

OK. I'm back in. Reviews of the last two shaves so come...

 

[AlbertJohnson]

Late to the party. Man, sure would have liked to tried that 1st Musky mixture.
I got a shaving cream this morning that was 95% musk and it was awesome.
Am very new to all this and finding new scents abound. Musk just smells manly
and dangerous.

 

[Doug57]

Glad we're back! I will post reviews tomorrow from the missing days. I really like both of the blends.

 

[Catalinbread]

Ok review 2

Razor: Gillette Slim
Blade: Lord Platinum Class (1)
Brush: Frank Shave 26mm silvertip
Soap: Soap Commander Passion (same as first review)
AS: Blend B

Scent:
Ok so blend B is nearly indistinguishable in the bottle from A. Splashing on the scent reminds me very much of A but skips right to the dry down scent of A. That sort of more subdued muskier base and none of the sweeter, powdery or fougere like notes I described in the first test. The Brut is still noticeable.

Performance:
Alcohol burn isn't as strong as A though I had less irritation switching back to a more familiar DE as opposed to my still learning with a straight. The menthol was more apparent however, noticeable but not too powerful.
I feel like it tightened my skin about the same but does not feel as moisturizing as A. The longevity seems to be a few hours shorter as well.

I've giving round 1 to Blend A.

 

[Catalinbread]

I've actually used both blends twice now. I'll just go ahead and flood the thread with my next two reviews then.

Razor: Gillette Slim
Blade: Lord Platinum Class (2)
Brush: Omega 10083 boar
Soap: B&M Latha Taiga
AS: Blend A

Figured I'd give A a shot with the DE to make it fair, also using a much more strongly scented soap for round 2 that should still work fairly well with the scent pairing.

Scent: This time around when I splashed on the blend I wasn't as easily able to detect the scents I was getting the first time through the strong spruce scent of the Taiga, but they were still there. Same as round 1 except the scent of the soap became dominant after a few hours.

Performance: Still seems to be a stronger alcohol burn than B and this time the menthol was a little more noticeable, B still seems strong as far as menthol goes however. Slight skin tautness and decent moisturizing as before.
Nice blend over all, my wife could not tell much of a difference but says she likes the smell of both which is rare for more traditional scents like these.

 

[Catalinbread]

Razor: Henckels Friodur Inox 472
Brush: 24mm Envy White in stainless handle I turned
Soap: B&M Latha Taiga
AS: Blend B

Back to the straight to give a try for each blend with a DE and straight each. Went with the B&M again as my skin will often lend a muskiness or sometimes even metallic note to many aftershaves and the sweet scent of the soap can reduce that effect.

Scent: Still slightly muskier and not as strong as A after immediate splash on. First few seconds I actually was getting a note that strongly reminded me of licorice which I've never smelled in a splash before. The scent of the soap quickly dominates scent B within an hours time.

Performance: Even with the rougher shave from my straight it wasn't as much alcohol burn and I still notice the menthol more. Same skin tightening effect as A once again and not quite as moisturizing.

I must say if the goal was to produce a product that is greater than the sum of its parts I'd say both blends are a great success. I don't care much for Brut and thought Skin Bracer was underwhelming but not bad.
Both of these blends are overall pretty good but I prefer A over B by a small margin.

 

[clyde72]

4-18-2017
Pre Shave: Urth Face Wash and Urth Face Scrub (in shower)
Hot Towel
Razor: F1 Gillette Fatboy (set on 6)
Blade: Astra Superior Platinum
Brush: Omega S-Brush S10019 Synthetic
Cream: Proraso Red
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse Alum Block and Thayers Unscented
After Shave: KJ's Blend "B"

I used the Proraso cream again so as not to chance any lingering scent that might mix with the B. I do get a slight but distinct different smell from B. It's more powdery to me. SWMBO (who likes both of them but said A was better) smelled it and immediately said that smells like Canoe. I grabbed my Canoe and I agree, a part of it does remind me of Canoe. I get a much sweeter spice scent for this mixture when 1st applied. As it drys down I get more of the "powdery" aka Canoe in this blend. The Brut is still there. I don't get as much of a musk scent. This one made me think the blend had Barbrasol Brisk in it.
I applied to my face and there was no burn. And no noticeable cooling. I agree with @Catalinbread that the longevity on this is much less than "A", I'd say at least ½. The projection is much less also. Both A and B have about the same face feel best as I can tell.

 

[OkieStubble]

Great reviews guys! I know KJ is working out of town this week, but I'm sure he will check in soon and respond to your posts.

 

[TheVez2]

Thanks for the reviews guys. Keep them coming. I am traveling this week and next and my internet access is very limited. I'll catch up when I can.

Late to the party. Man, sure would have liked to tried that 1st Musky mixture.

I posted the recipe. Make some up yourself. I never did samples of that. It's just something I make for myself.

 

[Swazilander]

My second review of sample A

My shave:
Razor - 1973 Brazilian Mono Tech
Blade - Rapira Platinum Lux
Brush - Omega 40033
Soap - Stirling Orange Chill
Showered between shave and aftershave application. Didn't want shaving soap to affect review of aftershave.
Aftershave - Sample A

Initial contact - Slightly more burn with a menthol undertones
Initial sent - Some sent you grow to like more and more; this not so much. Get more a funky scent each time.
Dry down - Brute sent continued for quite some time.
Longevity - Two to three hours and the scent was negligible.
Feel on skin - This time I got some irritation not sure why.
Second thoughts - I Think this may be my last time using, I'm not fond of Brute (bad history with it).

Seem to be a hit and miss in liking it. Not quite sure why just doesn't jive.

 

[Graybeard57]

I've used both, and I prefer Blend A. I've used it twice, and Blend B once. To be fair, I'll use Blend B again tomorrow, just to compare it with my initial impressions. B burned more, and seemed to have more menthol than A, but it pays to double check.

 

[AlbertJohnson]

Thanks for the reviews guys. Keep them coming. I am traveling this week and next and my internet access is very limited. I'll catch up when I can.




I posted the recipe. Make some up yourself. I never did samples of that. It's just something I make for myself.

Already started doing it. Thanks for the idea.

 

[Jaidmaster]

After using both a couple more times, it's a tough call. I think B is a bit smoother and blends together a bit nicer.
A has one note a few minutes after being applied that I don't care for.
A might have a slightly better face feel than B, but it's negligible - both are very good.
I'd consider making both, but would probably try tweaking both a bit.

 

[Doug57]

Sorry folks. I've been swamped for the past few days and have not posted any further reviews or comments. I've tried both blends three times now. On each rotation, I used a soap that is fairly mildly scented for both blends. To me, the choice comes down to the scent. I find that both leave my skin nice and both are very soothing too. I do like the menthol in B slightly more than in A, but that's not enough.

I definitely like the scent of A the best. I was pretty convinced that A was Brut/Skin Bracer, even after the first use and, in fact, mentioned getting a Skin Bracer vibe in my first review. I really like Skin Bracer and I think it blends really well with Brut After Shave. SWMBO also likes it much better. Brut is not something that I use at all regularly, and it's top notes can be a little off putting to me. In the end, the more balanced notes in A won me over. It's funny, after getting the stronger menthol feel from B, I decided it might be a Brut/Bootlegger's Green Freeze blend. (Have you tried that one? If not, I might.) I figured the smaller amount of Skin Bracer in that blend would allow the Brut scent to come on stronger like it does in B. But then, I had never tried the Brut Splash On before and was not familiar with what it was. I guess I'm still not. From what I gather, it is sort of a Brut EdC light. The menthol is what I would not have expected. It certainly, to me, makes the Brut scent in B more dominant than in A.

I still have about half of each sample bottle left and will continue to use them both. Thanks, KJ and Rob, for asking me to participate.

 

[Bhugo]

Great stuff!