Wednesday's shave:
I opted to go with my Flare Tip Super Speed (w/Perma Sharp) today, and decided to try the other Storybook Soapworks sample that I have, the "Hallward's Dream".
Bottom line up front: I.....TOTALLY....DIG....THIS!!!
Goodness gracious, I dig this soap both in terms of scent and performance.
This is the advertised scent description:
"...built upon a base of sandalwood and musk with a bright and bitter bergamot flair. The citrusy top is complemented with a touch of basil and oakmoss to bring out the greener notes of the opening accord, while hints of violet and talc round out the scent and soften the blend. This luxurious fragrance is reminiscent of a slow afternoon at an Italian barbershop, with a darker base that cuts through the bright bergamot core."
The scent of this soap is absolutely wonderful! When I opened the container lid, my first thought was that it reminded me of the no-longer-around Queen Charlotte Esquire (which was an awesome scent!) that was mostly sandalwood, mixed with some leather. But once lathered, this takes on a fantastic citrus vibe which is clearly bergamot. On the SOS scale, I rate this a solid 3/5, trending to 4/5; I love it! The challenge was trying to decide what aftershave and/or frag to use. This has many, many possibilities - it's that versatile. Here's a shotgun blast of ones that I considered (in no particular order) that would work well: GTB, Alpa Classique, Pinaud Citrus Musk, Tabac, Hoyt's. In the end, I decided to just use a little Sampson's unscented balm, which sort of "sealed in" the lingering goodness from the soap. I still haven't decided if I'll use a frag for later.
The performance of this soap with the super speed was downright "elite" status. The Tuxedo synthetic whipped up an outstanding lather, and this lather has that "something special" face feel. I remember CBL talking about some soaps having a different feel, and I totally get it - this is one such soap! The residual slickness is noteworthy. I did two passes, and then some clean up which was practically a third pass, with just the residual - it's that good. And the post shave face feel is marvelous. Now post shave moisturizing is one component of a soap that I rank last, for me, in terms of characteristics that I look for most; but for some, like Don, it's number one. This is fantastic. As a matter of fact, after my clean up pass, I did another lather to soak in while I cleaned my brush, then rinsed off - excellent!
I'm not sure why I haven't heard of this soap. Is it new? Is it just flying under the radar due to not much visibility? Is there some dubious/negative reputation about the company or owner (yeh, I'm looking at you D.S.)? As long as it it isn't the latter, this is totally "puck worthy"!
