Hiya,
First, let me mention I normally don't use alcohol based aftershaves on my face, but I'll apply em like an EdT sometimes. Heh, I can't tell you how effective this product is, but I'll give my thoughts on the scent.
Up for review is Steve's home made Bay Rum concoction. I've had some time to wear it and I'll try for an accurate description. Heh, that's really not my strong suit, so we'll see how this goes. I can say I've sniffed many bay rum versions of various soaps/creams/colognes, and have a pretty good idea of what I look for in that scent.
Most of the more popular and traditional bay rum products I've tried are gonna be more of a single note, that being from the Pimenta Racemosa EO used. Even the more expensive versions will tend to smell very similar to the others. The most apparent differences occur when other notes such as orange, clove, or lime are added to the mix. That's when the creator of the stuff gets to show his interpretation on a theme.
This is what we have here with Steve's elixer. He's used the bay rum EO, along with a bunch of other notes to create something a bit different from the normal 'bay rum' juice I'm used to sniffing. Yeah, this is a sorta bay rum melange, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Personally, I find almost all the single note bay rum colognes to be a little dull after about half an hour or so. Seems like the scent flattens out a little....a bit less vibrant than the opening notes for sure. The drydown is a muted spiciness that wears very close with little projection or sillage. I have a few bay rum colognes in my rotation, but there's not much difference between em. One thing they all have in common is the scent is pretty much gone within a few hours at the most. Yeah, for some reason, none of the juice lasts long at all. Seeing as how this Barbershop product is aftershave strength, it will disappear even faster. That's not a bad thing at all, seeing as how it won't clash with any EdT that might be applied afterwards. Heh, maybe with some of Steve's concentrated extrait or something else to be created in the future would be good........
The Barbershop AS has lots more going on with it, and to me it's more user friendly in some ways. Certainly more interesting than the usual bay rums out there, which means it's gonna be hit or miss for each nose. For example, this version has a good bit more clove than most others I've sniffed. So keep that in mind if you like that note or not. It plays a big role in the opening, along with the Pimenta Racemosa, but fades to the background in a little while.
The Barbershop AS is on the sweet side, when compared to the other dryer versions I've sniffed. That, plus some other ingredients added, tends to give this stuff an almost foody kinda slant to it. It's not unpleasant, just different from what I'm used to. It's a well rounded melange, rather than straight ahead bay rum. Surprisingly, the drydown is pretty similar to the others I've sniffed.
I'd definitely suggest giving this juice a try. It's an interesting take on a fragrance that can be a little boring at time. There's some whimsey here.......Steve's product has that feel of something home made. Heh, you can tell he likes clove, and that note plays a large role here. That's something to keep in mind if it's not a scent you care for. The Pimenta Racemosa EO is the main thing going on though, which is how it should be with a bay rum frag. It's made a little more fun and accessible with the various other additions to the single note, and that's the charm of this aftershave.
Martin
Update: I've since used this product as an aftershave, and it was quite pleasant. No burn to speak of, which works well for me.
