PHOENIX ARTISAN ACCOUTREMENTS – DOPPELGÄNGER TRICOLOR LABEL
First Look - An astronaut head with moose antlers set against the colors of the Irish flag, the message is loud and clear, this is a tribute to the iconic Sir Irisch Moos shave stick and fragrance. Phoenix Shaving stay with their space age theme and cover art that adorns every doppelganger release cover but the few changes made here are pure genius. Love the cover.
Side note – Erik Hodges aka Douglas Smythe and his partner Frances Towle better known to the shaving community as Doug & Fran are the owners of Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements or Phoenix Shaving or PAA. While science fiction and space age themes surround the presentation and design of their shaving gear, the pick of the company’s products is their shaving soap's CK-6 base known for its stellar and consistent performance.
First Whiff – Sir Irisch Moos by Mäurer & Wirtz had men around the globe hooked onto its fresh and green fragrance, only to leave them heartbroken when the company pulled it out of their product line up. Many tried to replicate it and PAA came fairly close with their Doppelganger Tricolor shaving soap a few years ago. So, when I received my tub of the upgraded re-release in March this year, I was expecting the same product but I was wrong. On opening the tub, that old addictive and invigorating rush of everything green and fresh hit me straight in the nose, the , this is a bang on dupe of the retired Sir Irisch Moos. Those opening notes of Bergamot, Lemon, Orange, Rosemary, Coriander chased by Lavender, Cedar, Geranium and a hint of clove all resting together on a base of Patchouli, Oakmoss and Tonka Bean, they are all here and perfectly balanced. How Doug & Fran pulled this off I have no idea but they nailed it to a T. I actually regret not having picked up the matching After Shave Cologne.
First Lather – I loved the earlier Crown King 1 base but the CK-6 has always been a notch above for me. Using my Beard & Blade Nebular chubby brush and my HC & Co Stainless Steel bowl, I added a tablespoon of water to a teaspoon of the soap. A sixty second swirling of the brush saw that pasty lather begin to take shape, two more tablespoons of water followed by 90 seconds of vigorous brush swirling and I had a thick and creamy lather in the bowl. The CK-6 base never disappoints when it comes to the lather and with the soap's fragrance even stronger after the bowl lathering process, I was pleased as punch.
First Performance – I decided to go with my PAA Meta-4 razor and a Gillette Rubie blade for this shave. While painting the first few strokes of lather, those green forward fragrance notes kept coming at me in waves. I had a super smooth and efficient two pass BBS followed by a decent amount of residual slickness on the cheeks post shave. Having used the earlier version of this soap, it felt like an old friend had returned home only better dressed and smelling like a million bucks this time around.
First Opinion – I’m a fan of Sir Irisch Moos and even though I don’t possess the shave stick anymore, the EDT bottle of this special fragrance is enough to satisfy my nose. The newly upgraded PAA Doppelganger Tricolor Artisan label soap gets the balance of the fragrance notes perfectly to recreate the iconic Maurer and Wirtz product, and with the CK-6 base in tow, it runs a mile ahead of the original in terms of performance. It may be sold out for now but when it is released again, I would strongly recommend you get a tub or two, the respected Sir Irisch would agree.
Cover Art Work – 8 / 10
Lather Quality – 10 / 10
Fragrance – 10 / 10
Cushion & Protection – 9 / 10
Slickness – 8 / 10
Post Shave Feel – 8 / 10
Value – 10 / 10
Total Point Score – 63 / 70
Availability – Seasonal or Limited Edition release only at
https://phoenixartisanaccoutrements.com