Liam is our grooming editor and the discerning nose behind the fragrances at NOAH, lending his voice to our writing and commentary across the board. As you’d expect, Liam has a penchant for pleasant smells and likes to float on an aromatic cloud as often as he can. He’s enthusiastic about food and wine, and lectures on the topic at the University of Melbourne. Even more, he’s about to complete his PhD on aesthetic philosophy. This informs his approach to the many products he works with, reflected especially in his writing about fragrance.
A longstanding member of the team, Liam’s grooming choices are the result of many years of testing and trialling. Here are his choices for his current morning ritual.
Anthony Algae Facial Cleanser
For me, a morning cleanser and an evening cleanser are certainty night and day in terms of their functionality. Throughout the day, my skincare focuses upon softness and hydration, maintaining my skin’s healthy and uniform appearance, fighting inflammation, tautness, and redness in particular. I admit to a fairly public life, filled with meetings, events, and teaching here and there, and so appearance and comfort matters.
I truly love this cleanser from Anthony, as its gel formula turns to a generous cream made up of ingredients intent upon water-retention, plumping, and soothing the skin. A glance at the ingredients list reveals an impressive feast, from anti-irritating guaiazulene, aloe vera, glycerine, and algae (in the form of Laminaria ochroleuca). It gently cleanses the skin without stripping it of its moisture. When a product feels to have been made for the specificity of your needs, then you know it’s good.
Jaxon Lane Shake and Wake Enzyme Powder Face Wash
This is my go-to evening cleanser, but it equally finds a place in my morning routine when I really want to achieve a squeaky clean. Working this powder into a foam always feels like a miracle of transmutation - and I think Shake and Wake is the perfect name for the product. Natural fruit enzymes from pineapple and papaya lightly exfoliate the skin, brightening, softening, and smoothing - visible appearance is improved and energised immediately. Packed with niacinamide, panthenol, aloe vera, my skin is left feeling hydrated and restored. I literally could not ask for more from a cleanser.
Tabac Vert - Rouge
I am increasingly particular about fragrances, as is the nature of this habit, and as I’ve matured along with scent I tend to desire more and more silent perfumes, or dare I say ‘odourless’ ones. Which is not to suggest that Tabac Vert is odourless nor silent, but that it is quiet and modest, concentrated as all of its notes pivot around a singular chypre point made up generously with spicy tobacco and carnation notes. It’s a sort of fiery floral, without the usual suspects. It fits seamlessly into the atmosphere of my wearing life, and speaks to a love for classicism. This perfume is an assertion, and I happen to agree with what it says wholeheartedly.
A day perfume in the truest sense of the everyday must fuse with the wearer. I don’t think it should be in addition to them inasmuch as it complements what’s already there. Everything is soft yet powerful in Tabac Vert, pronounced with a steady underline that traces through cedar, oakmoss, pepper, and bergamot notes. The tobacco note is both natural and realistic - slightly humid, vegetal, earthy, honey-tinted, and even animal - it crosses many impressions elegantly, without undoing itself. It is structurally perfect - a symphony playing at various volumes, all within the range of a moderate quiet.
Selahatin Sassafras
I’ve never really asked myself whether I’ve wanted my daily toothpaste to taste like root beer, but this is the joy of Selahatin, which draws out desires that I didn’t even know I had. That’s the very rationale behind this brand, which makes something special of the oral care experience. And for me, luxury is the combination of freely engaging in such pleasure without having to think about the necessities, because they’re guaranteed. Special mention for Marvis’s Amarelli Liquorice Toothpaste, I can never be without that one!
Baxter Deodorant
I started using this deodorant in 2015, and it has remained a favourite ever since. Deodorant is a product that I blissfully relegate to functionality - and this is the measure of quality and performance that I hold it to. I am happy to report that this one works wonders. It’s the deodorant I use when I need the assurance of being dry and odour free, and even more, its clean citrus-herbal musk aroma has never interfered with my fragrance - and I wear a lot of fragrance! A good quality deodorant swipes on, never needing more than two passes to work.
Santa Maria Novella Orange Blossom Water
This one’s a versatile favourite. I wanted something classical and evocative of their apothecary roots, and this Orange Blossom Water fit the bill.
I splash it on to freshen up, into cupped hands and worked all over. It’s made of the residual scented water after the distillation process (known as a hydrosol), and it peps me up. I treat it like a traditional Eau de Cologne without the alcohol, as its scent is an ephemeral flash; an aromatic slap, if you will. I particularly like it in my hair and splashed onto my face for an invigorating moment, especially if my skin is feeling a little sticky and weighed down over the course of the day. A simple pleasure, but definitely an elegant one. The bottle makes a wonderful piece that decorates my bathroom, too.
Firsthand Supply All-Purpose Pomade
Whilst I may not need to slick my hair as much nowadays, a little hold and style is welcomed by my otherwise unruly hair. I’ve got stubborn hair that needs to be wrangled into submission with a little weight, and Firsthand Supply’s All-Purpose Pomade does the job. Applied lightly and brushed through the hair, it offers a natural ‘barely there’ look with a light yet firm hold, and soft yet subtle definition. Even better, it’s water-based, so it washes out as easily as it is applied. Its herbal smell is light and unobtrusive.