Declaration Grooming | Sweet Lemon / Shore / Contemplation
APShaveCo. Elegant Emerald | SynBad 24mm
Ever-Ready SE | Gem PTFE
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Since my right arm is in a huge, heavy immobilizing splint, shaving hasn't been particularly enjoyable. Just loading the brush is a chore. Typing with one hand is slow and annoying as well. Declaration Grooming's new Icarus trilogy was a good option, however. This base pretty much meets my expectations for the perfect soap. Despite some hand cramps due to awkward angles, the shaves themselves have been drama-free.
Please forgive the following truncated notes, and take into consideration that while I've used these three soaps exclusively for the past 2 weeks (I shave every other day), I don't spend nearly as much time in the shower with them as I normally would. Until I'm liberated from this splint, shaving is strictly a task I want to get done so I can quickly remove the plastic sheeting that protects the splint during the shave. Because with humidity comes itching, and this splint is a bulky dressing preventing my access (sort of like a cast). I ain't looking for sympathy here. Just explaining my deviation from the norm.
Sweet Lemon is the most novel of the three. It's sweet lemon as you would expect, but also coconut (which you may not expect). At times it smells exactly like a fresh-baked lemon sugar cookie and other times like a coconut cream pie. As delicious as it smells (and I've revisited the puck just for whiffs more often than I care to admit), it is not what I typically reach for in a wearable fragrance. The good news is, the paired splash doesn't linger long and a lemony or citrus fragrance would compliment this just fine as the sweetness falls away rather quickly. Catie's Bubbles' Confiant extrait fit that bill each time.
Shore is arid and slightly salty with hints of green. I can't say for certain whether there's an element of ozone or if my brain is filling it in because it belongs there. It's pleasant and unique. It accurately captures the essence of a coastal shore/beach.
Contemplation is my favorite of the three, and it seems to be the most complex. I initially detect a grassy citrus that I'm inclined to declare lemon grass or possibly verbena. It acquires a more herbal tone as the shave progresses. There is an underlying familiar slightly heavier note that teases a smokiness without really being smoke. I could not place it until it was revealed to me to be black tea. Now, it's easily identifiable and unmistakable.
I'm being completely utilitarian in my approach to shaving for the duration of my confinement, but Declaration's Icarus manages to keep me from completely eradicating all enjoyment from the process.
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