PAA Sun Down: Shaving with the Mühle Rocca R95
Hello everyone. Welcome back for another shave. Keeping it short today, I don’t have much time. Straight to it. I’m shaving with PAA’s Sun Down, and my buddy Brett has been after me about this one for a while. It’s one of his favorites from PAA. He insisted I had to try it.
Fair warning up front: scent is personal. Very personal.
What My Nose Says About Sun Down
Out of the container, I know within seconds. There’s something powdery and floral going on, with maybe a citrusy sweetness underneath. On paper that combination could work. But the way it all comes together gives me a damp smell association. Not offensive, not something that sends you to the sink, but not something I’d reach for either.
This soap is a tribute to Gillette’s Sun Up aftershave from the ’60s, if I’m remembering correctly. Correct me in the comments if I’ve got that wrong. That old-fashioned, powdery vintage quality makes complete sense with that backstory. If that era of fragrance is your thing, you’re probably going to love this. For me? That’s a pass.
Once the lather is built and I’m brushing it on, the sharpness settles down a bit. That damp note isn’t as loud. I can work with it. Still not my pick, but it won’t ruin your morning.
Loading the CK-6 Base
My buddy Brad has been telling me to load heavier with CK-6 soaps. I followed his advice this time and scooped generously into my Cream Soda synthetic brush. The difference is real. Creaminess improved. Consistency improved. I was probably under-loading before.
What I ended up with: dense, creamy, yogurty goodness. Plenty of it. Enough lather for two more shaves easy. Good problem to have.
The base performs well. Decent residual slickness, good protection, the razor glides without complaint. It just doesn’t sit near the top of my personal list. Brad loves it, and I get why. But if you ask me honestly, I’ve used bases I prefer. Load generously. That’s the lesson.
The Razor: Mühle Rocca R95
Almost three days of growth, so I’m going with the Rocca. That birch bark handle is gorgeous. Trusty razor. Smooth, efficient. Every time.
Inside I have a Personna Comfort Coated blade, probably on its fourth or fifth use. I forgot to swap it out. Still good for the shave.
The Shave and an Unexpected Cooling Sensation
First pass, with the grain. Clean. No issues. The soap does what a good artisan soap does, nice protection and the razor glides right through.
Then something happens that I can’t explain. I’m getting a cooling sensation from the lather. I checked, and I don’t see any menthol listed in the soap’s ingredients. I’ve used this same CK-6 base with Droid Black a few times recently and never felt this. So it’s not the base. My best guess is something in the scent compounds is causing it. A pleasant little mystery from a soap I wasn’t enjoying for its smell.
Second pass, against the grain. Still feeling it. I’ll take it.
Brad, I’m doing this for you, buddy.
The slickness holds through both passes. The Rocca finishes clean. After the shave the face wash is refreshing, and that cooling is still going. Whatever is causing it, I’m not complaining.
The Splash: Better Than I Expected
For the splash I make a face. Yeah, the scent again. But then something shifts.
That damp note I couldn’t get past in the soap is mostly gone here. What I’m getting is sweeter, more citrusy, and more pleasant. Then the alcohol blast hits. Strong. And the cooling effect comes through hard.
I checked the ingredients. Menthol. Found it. That’s what’s happening in the splash. The menthol pushes the citrusy side forward and makes the whole thing fresher than I was expecting. Thirty minutes later a hint of that dampness creeps back in, but it’s subtle. Only when I bring my hands right up close. Much better than the soap experience.
I’m surprised. Genuinely.
Verdict
The soap: the scent is not my thing. Performance is solid when you load generously, and the mystery cooling sensation during the shave is a real bonus I didn’t see coming. I have no explanation for it. If you’ve got this soap and noticed the same thing, drop a comment. I’m curious whether it’s just me.
The splash: I recommend it. Better scent experience than the soap, strong menthol cooling, and a finish that surprised me on the pleasant side. For a summer shave, it actually makes sense despite a scent profile that reads more like autumn.
Scent is subjective. Brett loves Sun Down and he’s not wrong to love it. That’s the beauty of this hobby. There’s variety for all of us to find what we like and what we don’t. This one’s just not my pick.
Brett, I hope you enjoyed this one. Thanks for joining me for this shave. I’ll see you in the next one. Until then, stay safe.