Guess I kind of forgot to get this written review done. Not really much to say here except...THIS SOAP IS AWESOME! Really though, out of the couple hundred (probably more) of soaps I have tried (either owned or sampled)...this one might be it. I mean, this soap might beat out all others.
Let's first talk about the packaging...I mean, in order to properly judge a book...you have to look at the cover. You get 4 oz. of soap in a wide mouth five or six ounce plastic tub with a sturdy screw on lid. This is pretty standard now...though some soap makers haven't caught on yet. I appreciate the label being of a water resistant type...but they are a bit on the simple side...even for Declaration Grooming. But I guess that is expected for a small batch release that isn't part of your regular inventory. The ingredients are posted on the bottom of the container, albeit very small and is almost too hard to read. This is really nit picky...but it is what it is.
On to bigger and better things. I know we all say we shouldn't judge a soap by the scent. And I subscribe to this mostly. If a scent doesn't please you ...move on to another one...the soap base is likely going to be the same. In this case...this soap is made from Declaration Grooming's Icarus Base. And to date, there is a limited offering in scents. I have a feeling, however, that this will likely change...as I stated above and will state again...this might be the best soap out there. At any rate, Declaration Grooming and Chatillon Lux describe this scent with the following notes:
honeysuckle, freesia, lavender, orange, bergamot and amber.
The Lavender, citrus, and amber are staples in shaving soap and aftershave scents...but I don't see a lot of honeysuckle and freesia. I said it elsewhere and I will say it again, despite there actually being some people that are indifferent to this soap...I still believe that this scent profile is going to be a polarizing one...you will either love it or hate it. Can you tell where I will stand in this fight? Of course you do! I love it. To me, this hits all the right notes and intensity of being sweet and floral without overdoing it. Honeysuckle on its own can be cloying, but the freesia really adds a spicy aroma to the floral attributes...a bit of pepper or earth...either way it brings it down. Same with the orange and bergamot...orange is bright while the bergamot adds again some peppery spice to the citrus. To elements in flowers and citrus that work in unison together to perform the same function within the species. The amber just mellows everything out. To me this is a very sophisticated scent. My wife, who I have always said has a super-sniffer, absolutely loves this scent on me...so it's a win in the Danger Household! Out of the tub I believe this has a strength of scent of about four out of five. While lathering, it doesn't tone down much...probably a 3.5.
Before I get in on the performance of the soap...I want to address that there is a lot going on in this soap...a lot of good going on that is. There is Bison and Lamb tallow as well as lanolin and goat's milk. There are a lot of extracts also that are great for the skin. The following is a list of ingredients:
Stearic Acid, Water, Castor Oil, Avocado Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Mango Seed Butter, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Bison Tallow, Lamb Tallow, Colloidal Oatmeal, Goat's Milk, Lanolin, Bentonite Clay, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Fruit Extract, Salix Alba L. (White Willow) Bark Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tussah Silk
As far as the performance of the soap goes...more excellence! I have shaved with this soap four times now and each shave was better than the last. I have bowl lathered and face lathered using badger and synthetic. I am almost exclusively a face lather-er, but for reviews I like to try both ways out to see which method is better. This is probably the first time I have ever said this as my preference for shaving is a badger brush and face lathering...but I think this soap performs better if it is bowl lathered and with a synthetic. I got great shaves the other way...but I was able to get optimal lather with a bowl and synthetic brush...weird, huh!
I'm not going to go into great detail about it all...but this soap provided exceptional lather...it was super slick...had the best cushion and/or protection of any soap I have tried. If lathered wet...this has incredible residual slickness. And most often, with residual slickness, Vide Poche provided one of the best post shave feel/post shave moisturizing I have experienced. Is this best soap I have ever tried...if it isn't it is right up there with the best.
If there is a knock on the soap...and I don't really think it is a negative, but just how the soap functions...it is that this soap requires a LOT ot water. I normally wouldn't recommend this...but don't start off with a drier brush and add water drop by drop. If you do that...it will take you 15 minutes or so to get an optimal lather. Start off with a wetter brush and add water to your bowl by the teaspoon...at least. But because it requires a substantial amount of water...there is definitely a wide margin of error. This soap will perform just fine a little dryer...maybe not perfect..but definitely functional.
Well enough of me rambling on...
My categories for grading a soap/cream are as follows: Ease of Lather, Total Lather, Residual Slickness, and Post Shave Feel. Additionally, I will assign to each category the following grades: Poor, Fair, Good, Great, Excellent. I am lumping slickness, cushion, and protection, together as Total Lather. To me, these three work to provide you a comfortable or not so comfortable shave. Therefore they are being graded as one.
Declaration Grooming/Chatillon Lux Vide Poche soap was graded as follows:
Ease of Lather: Great
Total Lather: Excellent
Residual Slickness: Excellent
Post
Shave Feel: Excellent
Average Attribute Grade: Excellent
Is this a perfect soap? It's pretty darn close!
Is this an elite soap? Maybe the Elite of the elite!
I on Chad's (@cvargo) scale...this is definitely considered an Elite soap. Probably the best in my den!
I quick word on the aftershave...It smells just like the soap. I can detect a slight alcohol note to it...but not too bad. I was a little concerned at first, because the aftershave goes on tacky...slightly. But it seems to dry within minutes. I won't say that the aftershave has the best longevity...but the scent will last a good four to five hours. I would love for Chatillon Lux to come out with a EdT, EdP, or cologne to complement.
I really hope Declaration Grooming and Chatillon Lux decide to make another batch of this in the future...for me...this is about as perfect of a scent and soap combination that is out there. Thanks for reading!
