Adopted Acres Texas Spirit Oud Noir: Sunday Shave with the Lupo .95

Good morning, and welcome back to CMW. It’s Sunday. It’s about 5:30 over here, which means you’re probably still asleep. Just me, the coffee, and the dog on the floor. Let’s get into it.

I’ve been looking forward to this one since I first heard Doug was making it. This is the Adopted Acres Texas Spirit Oud Noir, a collab between Doug of Adopted Acres Soap Co. and Barry of A Texan Shaves. It came out of the Texas Meetup, and let’s just say I had a friend pick it up for me in Texas, if you know what I mean. Brand new, never opened. Pairing it today with one of my all-time favorite safety razors, the RazoRock Lupo .95. And because it’s Sunday, we’re doing at least one pass with the straight. That’s just the way it goes.

The Soap

I want to be upfront: I don’t love this soap straight off the dry tub. Just not my thing. But the moment I got the brush loaded and started adding water, something opened up. I couldn’t stop sniffing the brush. I kept saying it out loud through the whole lather and I’ll say it here too: this smells fantastic.

Doug built this one on his Grand Champion 2.0 base. First thing you’ll notice is how much water it takes. I kept loading, kept adding water, and it kept building without falling apart. Thick, rich, wet, with a beautiful sheen on it. By the time I was done I had lather halfway up my neck. Not a brag. I’m not a master latherer. I’ll leave that to El Mascalero Shaves or the Lather Yeti. I’m just a guy who wants to shave. But even a guy like me could tell before he picked up a razor that this base was doing something right.

Quick side note: Shucky the shrimp tried to eat some off the tub, like he always does. That little guy has zero concept of personal property.

The Scent Notes

I pulled the card out of the tub and read through the notes while I worked. Here’s what Doug put in this one:

Top: bright bergamot, white berries, citrus, midnight air, warm vanilla essence.

Heart: an enhanced bluebonnet accord, with rose, black pepper, patchouli, fir needles, and wild herbs. The card describes it as a floral and aromatic heart that pays tribute to Texas in full bloom.

Base: clean oud, leather, tonka bean, toasted oak, cedarwood, oakmoss absolute, black musk, clove buds, and a subtle touch of gunpowder. I was specifically hunting for the gunpowder. Still haven’t found it.

While I was lathering I thought I was picking up the oud early, maybe some of the bluebonnet accord coming through in the heart. I couldn’t pin anything down exactly. Doesn’t matter. Whatever the combination was, it kept pulling me back in. You don’t always need to know why something works.

One Pass with the Straight

It’s Sunday, so we’re doing the straight. One pass. Just for the people who want to see it.

I used the M. Jung 6/8 for this one, on an edge I’d touched up recently. Honestly, I can’t remember if I put it on the Arc or the hanging strop. I’ve been hauling a lot lately and I can’t keep track. That’s a problem.

While I’m here, quick tip for anyone shaving with glasses on: angle the razor so the head fits under the frame, then curve the blade in until you find your angle. Don’t press. The blade is sharp enough to handle it. You’re just finding the geometry and letting the razor do the work.

One pass. Cleaned the blade. Set it aside. Good enough.

The RazoRock Lupo .95

Now for the main event.

The Lupo .95 is one of my favorites, and I say that every time I pull it out because it’s still true. Mine is the straight bar model, not the open comb, though RazoRock does make an open comb .95 as well. The head design is worth a close look if you’re not familiar with it: the corners come in, no sharp edges, which makes it easier to get into spots another safety razor might miss. Good for detailing around the lip line and nose.

I was running a PermaSharp on first use. That combination isn’t one I’d hand to a beginner without fair warning. The .95 is efficient, and at that blade gap it can feel aggressive if you’re not used to it. Don’t mistake that for uncomfortable, because it isn’t. But pay attention. This isn’t a razor you go in blind with.

For the price, I want to say around $70, though I should have looked it up before filming and I didn’t. For fully stainless steel, that’s a hard number to argue with.

After the straight pass, the residual slickness off the Texas Spirit Oud Noir was excellent. The Lupo went in clean. Smooth finish all the way through. I commend you, Doug.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’re having a good weekend. If you shaved today, drop a comment in the video and let me know how it went. I’ll see you in the next one.