Requiem for a heavyweight

tempusfugit · Mar 19, 2020

A bittersweet morning. Today I used the last of my Declaration Grooming Sni Mato, a great soap with the now-discontinued Icarus base. Beautiful complex scent of chocolate and earthiness. The soap went out like a champ, though, producing its usual rich lather in seconds from just a few scraps of soap:

Tools: Muhle Rocca brush and matching razor with a feather blade.

BigJ · Mar 20, 2020

RIP!!

And CONGRATULATIONS!! :clap:

tempusfugit · Mar 20, 2020

Thanks! I still have 3 more DG soaps to tide me over, all with the fantastic new milksteak base: Darkfall, Trismegistus, and After the Rain. (Not to mention a few other soaps in the rotation...)

pbrmhl · Mar 29, 2020

tempusfugit said:
A bittersweet morning. Today I used the last of my Declaration Grooming Sni Mato, a great soap with the now-discontinued Icarus base. Beautiful complex scent of chocolate and earthiness. The soap went out like a champ, though, producing its usual rich lather in seconds from just a few scraps of soap:View attachment 1076050

Tools: Muhle Rocca brush and matching razor with a feather blade.

I never got the soap, but I used my Sni Mato aftershave this morning. It's 11 hours later, and it retains its distinctive scent. I only have one bottle, so I use it sparingly. Over the course of the day, the scent gets mellower and more interesting. I wish Shawn still made it, but I understand it was somewhat divisive. I chalk it up to being adventurous.

Steinmetzify · Mar 29, 2020

RIP and congrats!

Man not to rain on your parade, but this just shows how divisive that scent was. I grabbed it on the recommendation of a friend and couldn’t get it out of my house fast enough.

He loves it and got a free tub lol

tempusfugit · Mar 31, 2020

It took me a while to appreciate Sni Mato. I didn't really enjoy it much at first but somehow over time the scent converted my brain cells...I'm now having the same experience with another Declaration Grooming soap--After the Rain. I used to think it smelled like a cheap air freshener; now I look forward to using it.

boilerphan · Apr 1, 2020

tempusfugit said:
It took me a while to appreciate Sni Mato. I didn't really enjoy it much at first but somehow over time the scent converted my brain cells...I'm now having the same experience with another Declaration Grooming soap--After the Rain. I used to think it smelled like a cheap air freshener; now I look forward to using it.

Like that you admit it took you a while to appreciate the soap. I have had several that fit this bill and am glad that I didn't give up on them. Not every scent blows me away on the first whiff.

Granite.Glasser · Apr 1, 2020

tempusfugit said:
Thanks! I still have 3 more DG soaps to tide me over, all with the fantastic new milksteak base: Darkfall, Trismegistus, and After the Rain. (Not to mention a few other soaps in the rotation...)

Might you share your impressions of DG "After the Rain"?
This one is high on my wish list!

tempusfugit · Apr 1, 2020

boilerphan said:
Like that you admit it took you a while to appreciate the soap. I have had several that fit this bill and am glad that I didn't give up on them. Not every scent blows me away on the first whiff.

Some of the soap and scent makers have educated me. A lot of scents are easy to like--who doesn't enjoy fresh oranges? The more unusual ones take a while to appreciate--I really think my olfactory system gets re-wired with each new scent!

tempusfugit · Apr 1, 2020

Granite.Glasser said:
Might you share your impressions of DG "After the Rain"?
This one is high on my wish list!

Happy to share! Like all the new milksteak DG soaps, After the Rain produces a great lather in seconds. I swirl a damp brush gently for 10 to 15 seconds in the soap (which is on the soft side) and then work up the lather in a bowl for maybe a minute or so. I don't need to add any water, which is kind of remarkable given the hardness of the water where I live. The end result is thick, protective, and yogurty--no bubbles. (Yogurt is actually one of the soap's ingredients!) Great post-shave feel, very moisturizing. As I said, it took me a while to enjoy the scent but now I think it really does capture something about rain-freshened air. As a certified fop I also have the matching aftershave and my wife loves the scent. Later, if I feel energetic and have some time I'll try to upload a couple of photos.

tempusfugit · Apr 1, 2020

pbrmhl said:
I never got the soap, but I used my Sni Mato aftershave this morning. It's 11 hours later, and it retains its distinctive scent. I only have one bottle, so I use it sparingly. Over the course of the day, the scent gets mellower and more interesting. I wish Shawn still made it, but I understand it was somewhat divisive. I chalk it up to being adventurous.

Wish I had nabbed a bottle when it was still available...