Barrister and Mann

Leviathan grows on you, in my experience.  I've said this before, but it warrants re-stating.  When I first used Leviathan, I was a little repulsed as was my wife.  However, after smelling it all day, I ended up liking it.  The next time I used it, I liked it right off the bat.  It's now easily one of my favorite fragrances, and my wife shares my sentiment.  Will has an interesting and enjoyable explanation regarding the fragrance.  Someone attributed the 180 degree take I had on the fragrance succinctly stating my "nose received an education".

I had the same experience with Leviathan, the first time I smelled it I thought it smelled like S#!@. I had read other people describing it as an "acquired" taste, and after using it a second time I actually found myself craving it. Unfortunately I can only use it in cooler weather, and living in AZ that limits me to about six months out of the year. Love this scent!

As a shallow fickle consumer, I admit I am both shallow and fickle.  I am attracted to and brought in by labeling and packaging.  The fragrance and performance is what keeps me.  If you release a product with a cool label, there's a good chance I will purchase it once.

There are those manufacturers (and wet shavers) who couldnâ€t care less for the way packaging and presentation looks like. Then there are those manufacturers who are all over the map with their designs, each product packaging looking completely different from the next.

Lately, I find myself appreciating those who package their products using some type of common theme, so that itâ€s easy to tell whose product it is. But every now and then, some new label will pop up that is just so cool or wild that it immediately attracts attention (and fires up an impulse to buy).

While the product itself may be king, Iâ€d imagine that labeling and packaging can be a powerful vehicle for increasing sales.

Leviathan grows on you, in my experience.  I've said this before, but it warrants re-stating.  When I first used Leviathan, I was a little repulsed as was my wife.  However, after smelling it all day, I ended up liking it.  The next time I used it, I liked it right off the bat.  It's now easily one of my favorite fragrances, and my wife shares my sentiment.  Will has an interesting and enjoyable explanation regarding the fragrance.  Someone attributed the 180 degree take I had on the fragrance succinctly stating my "nose received an education".

I had the same experience with Leviathan - first time I thought "this smells like wet dog, I don't like it" but the next time I tried it it was love at first sight

I think its completely human to be fickle and easily swayed by packaging, image and so forth thats why there's marketing and advertising and lots money spent trying to get just the right image and packaging. We are putty in their hands. Its why people will pay twice the price for Thayer's witch hazel when there's identical stuff in a not nearly so cool package for much cheaper. Internet buying combined with marketing is also why so many of us have a ton of product that we don't really use much - we have to buy mostly on packaging, image and reputation. Can you imagine if you had walked into a shop and sniffed Leviathan? What are the odds that you would have come back in a day or two to sniff it again?

The above comments are funny - I had a similar experience with Night Music aftershave and with both the Adagio shaving soap and aftershave. First smell - especially of Adagio - I was not sure about it. But the more I have used it, the more I have come to love them - especially Night Music (wow I love the scent).

Fougère Gothique Note #10: The Softest of Leathers

Just received my sample of Fougere Gothic in the mail today, and it's a Beautiful scent! There is a lot going on, but I don't think it will be a scent that is polarizing where you either like it or you don't. It's definitely a Fougere, and I can't stop sticking my nose in the sample. I can't wait to lather this up to see if anything jumps out at me. I definitely think it's a scent that most people will enjoy. I have a very uneducated nose, and all the cave man in me knows is "me like". I was a little worried when reading some of the notes such as Ash etc., but this scent is lovely and I will definitely be jumping on the pre sale. Thank You Will for making the samples available, I think a lot of people are going to enjoy this!

Sweet baby Jesus. This one is awesome.

Fougère Gothique Note #11: The Arboreal Oakmoss

Mail call! Just got my sample of Fougere Gothique in the mail, along with a sample of Seville and Lavanille.


I am a big fan of FG out of the sample container. I moved it into a larger empty soap container. Really nice scent- not dark and overpowering. I pick up some of the different notes and it's just really pleasing as a scent. Definitely considering the EdP now- though I'm probably going to sell some of my den to have enough for it.

Can't wait for this release!

...There will be certain items that will be of limited stock (due to manufacturing constraints)...

Hmm...intriguing.

I think the video posted today by Barrister_N_Mann today on Facebook gives several clues about these special items...