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Stirling Bonaparte

Spider

Spider

"The Cadre Constable"
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Just saw this posted from Stirling on Facebook:

Against my better judgement, I agreed to do Bonaparte for the first time in over three years for Black Friday this year. I had my first shave with it today. I love it. It's always been one of my favorite scents.

That said, you will likely hate it. Don't buy it. Seriously, unless you've tried it before and know you love it, steer clear. The reason we stopped making it was the emails and requests for refunds we got over the scent. Don't buy it. Just don't.

That said, if you we...re one of those who asked us to bring it back, thanks and I hope you still enjoy it. I'm glad to finally be able to replace my soap and aftershave in the scent. If you haven't tried it before and you do end up buying it, you forfeit all rights to email me to angrily tell me that it smells like your grandmother's farts or like fruity toejam. It's your fault for buying it.

Do not buy it.

A wonderful and relaxing weekend to you all.
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Rod
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First of all, that is an awesome write up, and makes my want to try it! Second, there is no mention of it, or it's scent notes on their website yet. Does anybody remember this or know what it actually smells like?
 
Spider said:
Just saw this posted from Stirling on Facebook:
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Spider said:
First of all, that is an awesome write up, and makes my want to try it! Second, there is no mention of it, or it's scent notes on their website yet. Does anybody remember this or know what it actually smells like?
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Nope, but I'm guessing "smells like your grandmother's farts or like fruity toejam."
Actually has me curious too, good marketing ploy
 
I must have some! Too bad I’m on a buying freeze until after the new year. Someone send me a sample if you pull the trigger?
 
From Rod in the comments
It's a blend of Petitgrain, lavender, bergamot, Rosemary, thyme orange, lime, lemon, tangerine, and grapefruit.
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Well, I'm out on that one based on the description. There is too much citrus in it. My face is guaranteed to hate it.
 
Well...based on his write up i would be so very tempted to buy some. It's not like his soaps are too expensive or underperform. It would have to be absolutely putrid (like catfish bait) to be unusable. I'm not likely to get the aftershave because I don't do that so much.

I'm thinking it will smell more like fruity toe jam than grandmas farts ...maybe somewhere between unicorn poop and pegasus puke.

If he will do the 1 once sizes I might be up to a 3017 challenge of the stuff.
 
I’ve read some interesting descriptions. Someone said stale hotdog puke.
 
From those scent notes I don't know why it would smell like Grandmother Farts or Fruity Toe Jam? And for the record Chris...I would totally buy Catfish Bait! How about Shark Chum? Rotting Gator Chicken? For that matter...how about Road Kill...Zombie Flesh...or Compost Heap?

But seriously...I'm not sure how Bonaparte can smell that bad...I'm interested...but likely not able to buy until after the holidays.
 
It's not hyperbole at all. People hated the scent and they were not shy in telling me how much they hated it. The missing note in the description above is Ylang Ylang. I personally love the scent, but it's simply a fair warning: there's just as good a chance that you will absolutely hate it as there is of you loving it.

In hindsight, the Facebook post probably was good marketing, but that's not the purpose. I made the soap for the dozens who have emailed me asking me to bring it back as they'd run out. Plus, Mandy and I both had run out. I really don't want or need anyone to buy it to try it out. We'll do just fine on Black Friday even if I don't sell a single jar of the Bonaparte. I just don't want to deal with the angry emails and requests for refunds. And they will come. 100% they will come. Even though we went above and beyond to warn customers to please try a sample of the pumpkin spice and hot apple cider scents (due to the cinnamon content) and stated we would not be refunding orders who went straight for the full size, we still got close to a dozen angry emails wanting a refund on the full jars and full size aftershaves because the cinnamon lit their faces up. Short of requiring a notarized document from a dermatologist prior to allowing people to purchase, I'm not sure what more we could have done.

The 45 days before Christmas are long hours and very little time off. They are also the period that really sets just how profitable we are as a company for the year and sets how much we'll be able to do as a company in the next 12 months. This makes it extremely stressful, especially when combined with the emails and phone calls of folks worried that their package won't arrive before Christmas (I still answer all the phone calls and do 95% of the responses to emails. The 800 number is just a forwarding service that goes straight to my cell phone). Two years ago I had to be hospitalized for chest pain in late November and I've been on medication ever since. When I say don't buy it if you've not tried it and don't know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you love it, I mean it. And when I say that if you do buy it and hate it, and then proceed to email me about it that I'm just going to delete the email, I mean it.

Just re-read that and realize it probably comes off as brusque and unappreciative. I promise that's not the intent. I love our customers and appreciate every order we get.
 
Rod, my comment on marketing was tongue in cheek. I completely understood your write up and didn't take it as harsh. Just forthright. Take care of your health first. Boy I gotta get me some now and like or hate it's all on me !!
 
Rod, when I read your post on FB, I thought it was hilarious. I took it just as you meant it. I will likely be buying it, to try it. But I tent to like the unusual things that most don't. If I hate it, I take full responsibility and will not email you. I'll PIF it to someone else to experience it, or move it away via samples or something like that.
 
People that really like the scent shouldn't order it. They should just pick it up on BST at a discount a week after it ships!
 
I’m pretty sure Rod is saying it’s the modern day, soap equivalent to the Veg.
 
I actually learned a valuable lesson a year or so ago when I bought Vanilla Bean Espresso as I loved Catie's Irish Cream Coffee scent and wanted one from Stirling. It smelled rank to me and I thought it had to be a bad batch since others raved about it. I wondered how Rod could have even sent it out. I posted asking if others had a problem with there's and I had someone ask about trading for it as he had the scent and liked it. I agreed but said to let me know if it wasn't the same as the one he had and I would compensate him as I didn't want to give something bad in trade and have him dissatisfied. When he got it he said it smelled the same and he loved it. That was a light bulb moment for me to understand the difference in olfactory receptors fr each person. Any time I get something I don't like I realize it's just how my sense is translating it which may be perfect fr someone else. It's NOT the Artisans fault at all. I would never email and complain like that to a vendor knowing what I know now.
 
I can imagine just how busy things get at Stirling this time of year. Stirling has such a strong line up of products it is hard to imagine anyone looking for a gift wouldn't find a bunch of good stuff to get. With the recent move and new baby I am sure there will be no shortage of stress.

It's funny, the more Rod warns the more curious we get. Ylang Ylang is a potentially powerful floral scent that is a small part of many fragrances but rarely a major part. Perhaps we should stand down and let the dozen or so who asked for its return to snag some. I am seriously curious about this scent but would hate to keep the true lover of the scent from getting some.

For the record, I really like Texas on Fire and Electric Sheep...both seem to be a bit polarizing too.
 
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