October 27th, 2026: The Haunted Woods
- Brush: Chisel & Hound "Spice Lily" - TurnNShave Tuxedo 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Chiseled Face Titanium Legacy Razor
- Blade: Kai (5)
- Lather: The Cajun Blade - Dude of Oud - Soap
- Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Ubrique - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Oleo & Co. - Facial Toner - Toner
- Fragrance: BYREDO - Animalique - EdP
Theme justification - Dude of Oud has cedar, "dark woods," sandalwood, and two kinds of oud. Lots of woods here.
Relevant Post Shave or Frag - Ubrique is rosewood up top and sandalwood in the base, with Spanish leather in between. Animalique leans heavily into suede, woods, and musk. Both woody on their own, and both pick up the leather-adjacent aspects of the soap.
Daily challenge - Dripped Ubrique into the brush before the first pass. The lather smelled entirely like Ubrique. The soap scent might as well not have been there. No change in performance.
Sprayed Animalique into the brush before the second pass. Still mostly Ubrique, with a bit of Animalique at the start that faded fast. No change in performance.
Nothing added before the third pass, and that’s when I could finally smell the soap. Dude of Oud with a hint of rosewood and leather still hanging around from the splash.
Verdict: I dunno, I guess that was cool. I much prefer having three distinct scents that play with each other through a progression.
$FOF - Dude of Oud smells like yogurt off the tub. I've said it before and I stand by it now. Lathered up it turns into a dry, smoky wood with the oud sitting underneath, which is great. I was getting more incense today than I've gotten from this soap in the past.
I'm a big fan of Ubrique. Rosewood and bergamot first, then leather, then a sultry sandalwood that hangs around for a while after the shave.
Animalique is leather again, but suede this time, soft where Ubrique is sharp and tanned. It doesn’t add wood so much as smooth over the wood that’s already there. In the end the whole thing settled into sandalwood, leather, a hint of oud, and not much else.