cmh737 Straight Venture Journal Continued

[cmh737]

Good, honest shave Chris. Sorry it didn’t quite jive today.

I don’t mind lightly scented stuff as long as what’s there is appealing. It’s tough love when you want a yummy light scent to pop a bit more though.

I'm definitely prefer strong, robust, in-you-face scented soaps. I do make some exceptions, however.

Nice review Chris! You have water that would make most soap makers cringe! Looking forward to the epic soap reveal tomorrow!

Thanks, Josh. I actually skipped yesterday, and waited till this morning.....

 

[cmh737]

Great shaves and mail calls. Sorry to hear that your water is such a problem for those soaps.

Thanks, Don. And ain't nuthin' but a thing!

Great review and picture Chris!
Bummer the scent and performance weren't up to par!

The two Lisa's soaps (original formula) that I have perform great for me.

Thanks, Craig. And I'll be trying her premium line in the next day or two.

Catching up Chris, I am glad you liked ht Cedar Rose, I think you will really like the Black and Tweed as well, We try t make these soaps the best as possible in all apsects with no one area that sticks out and you are correct the rose is built that way we make the middle note pretty high on the Rose side and add a bit more in the Base note area so when it does dry down the rose can be more apparent. Look forward to your other reviews, and the Lisa's Haul is fantastic, she does some great stuff!

Thanks, Dave. I'm looking forward to trying the other two soaps.

Just got caught up. I had a Fatip piccolo at one time. It was always a smooth shaver for me, but I have always favored a shallow angle. It is definitely heavier than the Grande. No question about it. The handle is dense.

Centering the blade was extremely difficult on my razor. I think the top cap was not really right geometrically. I don't think it was possible to get it centered so that it was completely even. I put up with it for a while because I liked the way it shaved, but eventually I got tired of it and sold it. Later I picked up a Fatip Gentile with the Grande handle. This one is also a good razor, and it's easier to center the blade, but I find that I don't use it much.

Roger all, Randall. Good to know.

 

[Cvargo]

Chris glad you got to use the Lisa's. I remember you stating it not working in the water at your house. Have you used it on the road?

 

[cmh737]

SR Shave #613:

I confess, I did the unthinkable yesterday: skipped the shave. Yepper, just did - no reason really.

But this morning's shave has more than made up for it! I consider this an "epic" shave; I'll explain....

First off, several weeks ago, on a whim, I sent an email to Stirling Soaps with a question. I remembered that they used to do custom scents, so I thought I'd inquire if they could make me a Bergamot only soap. Now I've used their Bergamot Lavender before, but was hoping they could do just a simple Bergamot stand alone. They replied promptly and said that they don't really do custom orders anymore, however, they'd make an exception for me since I've been such a good customer for so long (I have used 47 of their soaps, after all - LOL). I was very appreciative, certainly, and a few weeks later, I had the soap. However; I didn't use it right away; I've been waiting to use it for a certain day. And that day is today!

Now, what makes this day unique (at least for me), isn't this particular tub of soap, per se. For you see, with the use of this soap, I have now used........

500 soaps/creams/sticks.

Yepper, 500 documented soaps/creams/sticks that I have actually used for a shave.

Naturally, for this occasion, I had to use my A#1 favorite straight razor, the Wacker "Allround Blonde". And one of my favorite badger brushes, the Paladin 2-band. And of course, one of my favorite post shave frags, Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet (aftershave and EdT).

The scent of this soap is a wonderful bergamot and rates high on the SOS scale at 4/5. The Pen's really topped things off. My goodness, how I dig the Blenheim Bouquet! What a great start to the day!

One other thing, I don't see many more soap purchases in my future. There will be exceptions, like any rose scented shaving soap that may come along (I'm waiting on Soapy Science to get the Rosa Purra back), but I'm going to be slowing down with new ones. But then again, I wonder how many times I've said that in the past?!

 

[Cvargo]

Only 500? Well halfway to a grand LOL. Great read and great showcase of customer service by Rod and Mandy!

 

[NurseDave]

Wow, that is pretty darn cool. Real label and everything. And yes, I think you not buying any more soaps is just as likely as me not blind buying anything any more.

 

[kingfisher]

Wow. 500 lathering products! Amazing.
I don't keep track of stuff, so I have no idea how many I've used.

That was nice of Stirling to do a custom scent for you.

 

[Dagwoodz]

Wow! You weren't kidding when you said it was going to be an epic shave! Congratulations on reaching 500 soaps! I'm nearing 200 products and can't fathom much more than that...

 

[Dave in KY]

Congrats on 500. That is a gorgeous set up there. The blade looks like it belongs with that brush.

 

[CBLindsay]

Very cool Chris. As it happens, I have a bit of Earl Grey scented soap on my desk ready to hit the mail. All I know is Earl Grey has Bergamot in it, other than that I have no idea what bergamot smells like. I also have a Rosa Bourbon in the wings.

Gosh, I remember when you were nearing 300 soaps. I seem to recall you saying you wouldn't buy another after that 300 mark.

 

[GearNoir]

Very cool to have a custom soap! Good scent choice!

And holy cow that’s a lot of soaps tried!

?

 

[dkeester]

Great shave! Congrats on the milestone!

 

[dangerousdon]

That is crazy Chris! I love the scent of just plain old bergamot. That citrus scent that is kind of peppery too...I love it. awesome that they made that for you. Last time I suggested a soap, the only thing we I got was a lowly coconut Sandalwood...?

 

[cmh737]

Only 500? Well halfway to a grand LOL. Great read and great showcase of customer service by Rod and Mandy!

Great customer service indeed! Thanks, Chad.

Wow, that is pretty darn cool. Real label and everything. And yes, I think you not buying any more soaps is just as likely as me not blind buying anything any more.

Thanks, Dave. The label is actually one of their "Bergamot Lavender" labels. I strategically placed the razor there on purpose; and on the side, I just photo edited out the Lavender.

Wow. 500 lathering products! Amazing.
I don't keep track of stuff, so I have no idea how many I've used.

That was nice of Stirling to do a custom scent for you.

Thanks, Randall. I'm a Stirling fan for sure.

Wow! You weren't kidding when you said it was going to be an epic shave! Congratulations on reaching 500 soaps! I'm nearing 200 products and can't fathom much more than that...

Thanks, Josh. And I've said that same line before: "...can't fathom much more than that..."

Congrats on 500. That is a gorgeous set up there. The blade looks like it belongs with that brush.

Thanks, Dave. It's my favorite straight razor, no doubt.

Very cool Chris. As it happens, I have a bit of Earl Grey scented soap on my desk ready to hit the mail. All I know is Earl Grey has Bergamot in it, other than that I have no idea what bergamot smells like. I also have a Rosa Bourbon in the wings.

Gosh, I remember when you were nearing 300 soaps. I seem to recall you saying you wouldn't buy another after that 300 mark.

Earl Grey scented soap??? You have my full attention, Sir!

And yes, I've said that I wouldn't buy another soap before; I can't deny that.

Very cool to have a custom soap! Good scent choice!

And holy cow that’s a lot of soaps tried!

Thanks, Chris.

Great shave! Congrats on the milestone!

Thanks, Doug.

That is crazy Chris! I love the scent of just plain old bergamot. That citrus scent that is kind of peppery too...I love it. awesome that they made that for you. Last time I suggested a soap, the only thing we I got was a lowly coconut Sandalwood...

Oh, I remember that "lowly coconut Sandalwood" - I still have a tub of that good stuff!

 

[cmh737]

SR Shave #614:

Today's soap choice was the new tub of Storybook Soapworks that I recently received, the "Hallward's Dream". I liked the sample that I used a few weeks ago so much, that I went ahead and ordered the soap as well as the matching aftershave. The rest of the set-up included the Fili 14, and the Tuxedo synthetic brush.


The scent of this soap is flat-out-off-the-charts-AWESOME! I....totally....dig....this! Man oh man, this is right in my wheelhouse. Love it! This so reminds me of the late Queen Charlotte Soaps "Esquire", which was one of my favorite QCS soaps.

Here is the scent description from the web of Hallward's Dream: "....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...."

Yep, this soap's scent, to me, lives up to the description. At first, the sandalwood is predominate, but once lathered, the bergamot emerges. It's very well balanced, and I think it's fantastic. I'm thinking that this will really shine in the cooler months, but it's still perfectly fine now.

The performance is highest Tier 1. On Chad's scale, I'd give it Tier 1, Box 2. The Tuxedo synthetic whipped an excellent lather; but the only reason it didn't quite make it to elite status today is that the residual slickness and post shave moisturizing could have been a tad bit better. But my goodness, the scent alone makes this a must-have for me!

The aftershave smells very much like the soap. There's no alcohol in it, and it's sort of like an aftershave "milk" - a cloudy appearance, and actually quite similar to the SV aftershaves in consistency. It did not leave my ole mug feeling tacky in any way, and felt good. Next time, I might mix it with a splash of Fine Snake Bite to get that brisk feeling that I appreciate from an aftershave. But all in all, not bad.

BTW, the Fili 14 was very good to me this morning. I definitely dig this big blade!

I hope to get caught up with everyone soon.

 

[dangerousdon]

A wonderful shave! This is a soap a lot of people are getting behind lately! Plus that scent description... Sandalwood and Bergamot? Yes Please!

 

[Cvargo]

Nice read today Chris. I used the sample of this that you sent me today. Although I must be honest the scent wasn't as WOW for me as it was for you. I did enjoy it, but wasn't a favorite for me. But the performance was definitely VERY GOOD!

 

[NurseDave]

I'll have to say that I won't be surprised as word gets out that these soaps get harder and harder to get a hold of. They already seem to sell out from time to time and they are nothing up a top performer.

 

[Dave in KY]

Great another soap to put on my list. Dave walks away head hung low shaking it wondering how he can keep up with these guys............

 

[dkeester]

Great shave and pic. That Fili looks really good.