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Soap Sample Pass Around!!!

Today's soap Declaration Grooming Trimegistus
Smart guy @Dave in KY learned me sumtin today. The name means thrice-greatest. And is a Terre D-Hermes inspired scent.

Ease of lather and seemingly wide range of water tolerance. very good
Slickness very good.
Cushion/protection very good.
Post shave very good.
Scent strength medium + very good
Lather stability very good.
Right from the start. Once the brush hit the soap a rich creamy and shiny lather was produced and I was able to add water along the way with no adverse effects.
This is on my want list .
D+G job well done.

Fluffy
 
Tonight’s sample was.
DiPaulo Argume.
Scent strength medium light.
Ease of lather very good.
Slickness good.
Protection good.
Lather Stability good.
Nice soap. With a very nice to me simple scent.
But as you may have guessed nice soap. While good is not gonna make the rotation for me.
Fluffy.
 
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I received the sample box yesterday. Thank you Maryland998. I worked late and finally got to open it last night. Oh my gosh guys. This box is literally stuffed to the brim with shaving soap samples. Over the years my kids and I have developed the fun competition of smelling all my newer soaps and rating them from best scents to worst. This box is going to keep us busy for a while. There are some bases here I have never, but always wanted to try, and some I haven’t used in a long time and forgotten how they perform. I am very, very excited.
 
Hey Ken.
Glad it made it to you ok.
It is a big ol box O fun.
I look forward to hearing what ones you like out of it.
Fluffy
 
OK. I shaved with Grooming Dept. Mallard Lavender. The scent, to me, was one of the best lavender scents I have experienced. It was lavender with lemon, and....I really suck at describing scents. I'll just say it was a wonderfully bright and sunny combination of scents with lavender at the forefront. The shave was very good. There was less cushion than I prefer, but I probably underloaded my brush, because I don't want to finish any of these samples and deny the next fellow a chance to experience it. The slickness was very good and good post shave feel. I would never judge a soap based on one use. We all know that shaving with the same soap for a week makes for very different shaves from the first to the last attempt. But it was very enjoyable overall. I am very interested in the OZ, Shannons, and Jabonman samples. And the Captains Choice 45th Parallel is the best cherry scented soap I have ever smelled. Too many to choose from........
 
Good morning to all. This morning I chose to shave with Stirling's margaritas in the Arctic. I have never tried Stirling, or any soap that has almond oil in it, due to my wife having a nasty allergy to nuts. Since we have taken enough trips to the emergency room over the years, I always have avoided these soaps. But as the moons and stars would have it, she is out of town for four days, and there are some wonderful Stirling samples in the Box Of Fun. So I gave it a try with a very good clean up afterwards. I will probably try Oz tomorrow for the same reason.
The scent, to me, is more of a crushed ice sweet margarita with a sugared rim, instead of the ice cubed salty rim. There is no scent of toquilla I can pick up at all, which is too bad, because I love toquilla. Although yesterday's shave with Grooming Dept. was good, the shave this morning with Stirling was sublime. The menthol feel was mild compared to my only other menthol soap, Sudsy soapery's Blizzard. That stuff is waaaay colder than this soap, but it also makes my eyes water, which at times can be more than what I want for a cooling sensation. This menthol was perfect strength, and I can still feel it on my face as I write this. The slickness and cushion were top notch, and the post shave feel is feeling better and better as the moments go by - incredible. This is an amazing soap, and is the first one from the box I would recommend as a "Must Try." I now understand the hype behind Stirling. It is a crazy value for it's price, and could be priced at a premium level. Unfortunately this will be the only time I get to use it, unless my wife chooses to leave me, which I'm sure she has contemplated many times. If she ever smartens up, I'll be at Stirling's web site with credit card in hand.
 
Yikes sounds like she has a very serious allergy.
My wife has allergies. Fortunately none that severe.
Glad you are enjoying the samples. I still have bunch to try.
A smorgasbord of soaps in ziplock baggies on my dresser.
Stirling soaps are very good.
Fluffy
 
So I know that Stirling has some different formulations of their soap. I was hoping to find one that didn't have almond oil in it. Unfortunately, I did not. Maybe @Joe Hackett can stop by and let us know if he has one.

Glad you are enjoying the samples!
 
dangerousdon said:
So I know that Stirling has some different formulations of their soap. I was hoping to find one that didn't have almond oil in it. Unfortunately, I did not. Maybe @Joe Hackett can stop by and let us know if he has one.

Glad you are enjoying the samples!
Click to expand...

Just the Glacial soaps and the Unscented with Beeswax. All the rest do contain Almond Oil.
 
I’ll definitely check into those. Thanks Joe. Shaved with OZ Winter this morning. Another fantastic soap similar to Stirling. Very slick. It was a little more slick than Stirling, but I might have just done a better job hydrating the soap this time. Great peppermint/chocolate scent. Really good post shave feel.
 
My daughter has a peanut allergy, but peanut oil has the enzyme that causes her allergy gets altered when they process the oil. Not sure if that is the same thing with almond oil or not, but may be worth asking your allergy doctor about it.
 
OK guys, I'm done. I've tried Grooming dept., Stirling - twice, OZ old and new formula, Wholly Kaw - again, cuz its been awhile, Declaration Grooming, CBL, TTFFC - again, Dr. Jons, and Barrister and Mann - again. I pulled this off by doing side by side shaves on half my face for the last couple of days. I have come to the conclusion that........they're all good. I have decided that the intricacies of wether one soap is better than the other has just as much to do with the composition of my water, combined with the chemical make up of the oils on my face, as it does with the particular soap itself. Not to mention lathering technique, hydration amount, brush style, etc.... The winner for me, was Stirling. My all time favorite performer has always been Martin de Candre. Stirling, for me, is the only soap that can walk up to MdC and punch it in the face. The newer version of OZ was a little slicker, but the addition of Xamthum gum to get there just doesn't sit right with me. Maybe because I'm just not used to seeing that ingredient in a shaving soap. I am aware that we all eat it. For anyone who has not participated in this pass around of the BOF, Let me share some thoughts. I have been using shaving soap for a while. I'm pretty sure I bought my first puck of MWF around 17-18 years ago, and used it exclusively for many years way before MWF ever became a "thing" with a cult following. Since then I have used many, many shaving soaps, but with the explosion of USA artisans in the last years, it has been impossible to try, or retry them all. This is what has made going through this BOF an absolute blast. Trying soaps that, on all the forum threads, some people both loved and hated. WK, B&M, DG, GD, every soap... all have their fans and naysayers. I would have never purchased all of these soaps just to see if they worked for me, not even paying for the samples. Learning first hand that they are all good, with the Elite ones being due to personal circumstances mentioned above, was invaluable for me. I am grateful to NurseDave for offering this to the forum members. Thank you. Even though the box is stuffed to the brim, I am going to try to cram in some Soap Commander, The Artisan Soap Shoppe, and Noble Otter samples. I hope they fit. On to the next lucky bastard!
 
**Soap Sample Road Show Sign-ups Copy from here down and paste**
1. dangerousdon - Completed
2. maryland998 - Completed
3. Jellodancer - Completed
4. elmerPHuD - Awaiting Soaps
5. Milkcrate
6. Dave in KY
7. Jaro1069
8.
9.
10.
 
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