My Shave With Universe 25 From Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements
Hi there, welcome to the shave den. I’m shaving with Universe 25 from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements, an homage to Eau des Baux from L’Occitane. I got this one a couple of days ago, and I’ve been walking by it every few hours just to take a sniff. It smells that good. We’ve got the matching aftershave splash too, so let’s get into it.
What I’m Using
For the lather, I’m using the Sharpe 3D Vortex X bowl and the Moon Stryker brush from PAA. This is a softer soap, so you don’t need to dig down into the tub; just take a light scoop and drop it right in the middle of the bowl.
I rinsed my thumb off first so I wouldn’t slip with the razor later. This shave’s razor is the Henson AL13 loaded with a black RK blade. I really enjoy the AL13. Great setup.
Before I get into the lather, here’s what Phoenix’s own product page says about this scent: “Some fragrances seem destined for a particular season. Universe 25 has other ideas. It’s every bit as captivating on a long summer evening as it is on the first crisp afternoon that calls for your favorite sweater. As autumn settles in, the woods and resins become richer. Winter draws out its warmth, wrapping cedar, frankincense, and vanilla around you without ever feeling heavy. Then spring arrives, and the fragrance seems to breathe again, revealing a brighter, greener character that had quietly waited beneath the surface all along.” That’s Phoenix talking, not me, but it lines up with what I’m smelling off this puck.
I’d already watched a couple of people who got this soap before me, and they were proclaiming its greatness. It’s in the CK6 formula, so I knew the lather was going to be great going in, PAA’s CK6 soaps are consistently outstanding. And they were right about the scent too. I’ve got a lot of PAA soaps, and I like most of them; picking one favorite is tough. But if I had to pick a favorite, this would be right up there. This is an outstanding scent.
The Shave
The AL13 goes right to work on pass one. How’s your shave going, if you’ve had one yet? A friend of mine visited from Pennsylvania recently, and we got talking about shaving. Turns out he only shaves two or three times a week. I enjoy shaving every day; I can’t remember the last time I skipped one. To each their own.
Pass one finishes clean, so I re-lather a little to touch up the neck before I move to pass two.
This soap is outstanding. Look at the lather it builds in that Vortex X bowl. CK6 formula, whipped up big, no mess. My lathering has gotten a lot better since I picked up this bowl. It’s a big bowl, but you can still grip it in one hand, and it doesn’t slop lather over the side while you’re working it.
Second pass, east to west. With the CK6 formula, you get real good residual slickness, so I can go back over a spot without re-lathering. That’s usually the only place that needs a third pass, right under the nose. That’s the area you have to watch; it’s easy to nick your lip there if you’re not careful, so I tuck the razor under and go upward on the chin.
It’s hard for me to name one favorite soap company. I’ve got soaps from a lot of makers, and plenty of them build great lather with great scents. But PAA is one I keep coming back to. Dependable, great lather, every time, that’s the CK6 formula doing the work.
That’s pass two, the final pass, and this is an outstanding shave. I rinse my face, dry off, and reach for the aftershave splash to match.
The Aftershave and the Scent Breakdown
I’ve got the atomizer on the splash bottle. PAA sells those separately, and I order one every time I get a new splash from them, it fits perfectly. I’d rather spray it on than dump it in my hands; I wish more companies made that easy. One spray and that’s outstanding. Universe 25 delivers on the aftershave side just like it does in the soap.
Before I sign off, here’s the scent breakdown. Top notes are bergamot, cardamom, and pink pepper. Middle notes are cinnamon, cypress, and juniper. Bottom notes are cedar, frankincense, oakmoss, and vanilla. I could tell there was vanilla in there before I even read the notes, soap with vanilla in it tends to run a little darker, and this one does. I love vanilla in a shave soap.
It smells great, it looks great, and it’s an outstanding shave all around. This is Universe 25 from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements.
Thanks for joining me in the shave den, and thanks to everyone who’s subscribed to the channel. If you haven’t yet, I’d appreciate it. We’ll have another shave for you very soon. Until then, happy shaving.