I went to Men Essentials in Toronto today and picked up a few items:
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Not shown is a puck of D.R. Harris Marlborough. I had wanted to get the aftershave but they were sold out. It's described as having "deep woody notes, including cedar wood and sandalwood". I find it very masculine but mild. I may even try the cologne, it's so nice.
The Captain's Choice aftershave I bought as an afterthought since they didn't have the Marlborough and I've wanted an aftershave and to try a Bay Rum. I think all the Captain's Choice are bay rums and this one has some lime added that gives it a slightly brighter, cleaner edge to what you'd expect from bay rum.
Eucris is another masculine scent and one I'm tempted to forsake all others for. Described as "The warm, sensual beauty of sandalwood, musk and moss is enhanced by a heart of rich, honey-like jasmine and exquisite muguet. Rousing, peppery top notes of cumin and coriander radiate with the fullness of plump blackcurrants." Now that's quite a grocery list of scents but it is complex and wonderful. I had originally had the hard soap but it produced a poor lather, I hope this cream does better. There isn't an aftershave as far as I can tell so I may have to try the eau de toilette or cologne in the future.
The Baume.Be I got because of it's reputation for a great lather. At first I thought the scent was something like MWF but smelling them together, not so much. The B.B is milder and far less floral with a slight citrus tang. It's in the scent class like MWF or Tabac where you can't describe it but you like it.
The Billy Jealousy trio, I'm looking forward to trying, all have the same scent, " a combination of peppermint, grapefruit, orange, lime, bergamot and ginger oils." and comes across as lemon.
-Hot Towel preshave has a water activated chemical in it that heats up. I don't know if it's a heat sensation or actual heat but like the shave cream, you start out with a wet face and it says to reapply warm water while using.
-Hydroplane shave cream is a latherless lotion type cream that also recommends starting with and keeping the face wet.
-Shaved Ice after shave balm has the same scent where I was expecting something more menthol to go with the shaved ice name.
The nice thing about Men Essentials is that they encourage you to crack open the product and take a shiff. This is how I found the Barrister & Mann Beaudelaire. It's like nothing I've smelled before, described as "Notes of oakmoss, lavender, coumarin, ylang ylang, and sandalwood are underlaid by the recreation of legendary perfume base Mousse de Saxe, a dark, leathery accord from the Golden Age of fragrance". It has an incredibly dry scent, when it first hit my nose it reminded me of an unglazed clay pot with leather and spice. If it lathers well it could be the go to for something completely different.
