#3,051

Posting Freak
(09-29-2017, 03:00 PM)BoarderPhreak Wrote: Here's an in-depth review of Lime|Lavender|Cedarwood for those interested.  TL;DR: Simple classic from 2013 but quite nice!

Thanks for the review BoarderPhreak , I'm expecting a tub of LLCW any day now and as I do have a tub of the original white label, I will be able to do a scent comparison to see how much, if at all the scent has faded in the original tub. I'm also glad to hear its in glissant base because I couldn't find any mention on B&M site about glissant for LLCW and its mentioned regarding other releases. I guess its just an oversight. I am assuming that all B&M releases going forward are either glissant or reserve base and that the white label is gone the way of the dodo. Having plenty of white label product in my collection I believe that it is still a top level performer and compares very favourably to glissant/reserve or any other competitor's latest editions. Much like Mike's Natural which hasn't undergone any revisions since inception and is still one of the top performing soaps IMO.
#3,052
(09-29-2017, 03:17 PM)Marko Wrote:
(09-29-2017, 03:00 PM)BoarderPhreak Wrote: Here's an in-depth review of Lime|Lavender|Cedarwood for those interested.  TL;DR: Simple classic from 2013 but quite nice!

Thanks for the review BoarderPhreak , I'm expecting a tub of LLCW any day now and as I do have a tub of the original white label, I will be able to do a scent comparison to see how much, if at all the scent has faded in the original tub. I'm also glad to hear its in glissant base because I couldn't find any mention on B&M site about glissant for LLCW and its mentioned regarding other releases. I guess its just an oversight. I am assuming that all B&M releases going forward are either glissant or reserve base and that the white label is gone the way of the dodo. Having plenty of white label product in my collection I believe that it is still a top level performer and compares very favourably to glissant/reserve or any other competitor's latest editions. Much like Mike's Natural which hasn't undergone any revisions since inception and is still one of the top performing soaps IMO.

You're very welcome! I don't have the original LLCW, so I can't compare directly, but I have a ton of old school white/black label releases where the scent has faded somewhat. Not all, but some (especially those containing citrus and other volatile notes). For example, Orange & Cedarwood and Tangerine & Ylang Ylang.

All B&M releases will be in glissant or reserve bases, yes. Some will even cross over (e.g. Fougére Gothique will be reserve). While I'm a big fan of glissant and even the older white/black label formulations (the only difference was sodium citrate in the latter for better hard water handling)... I'm still a bit on the fence about the reserve base. When it hits, it's really nice. But it takes more than casual use and dialing it in to get there. The right amount of product, the right amount of water... Never had to think about the other bases - just load and go.

FWIW, a lot of this is documented in my History of Barrister and Mann article, for those curious.
#3,053

Posting Freak
Thanks again BoarderPhreak I'll check out the article - if you saw my picture of my B&M collection posted a week or two ago, you know that Barrister and Mann is my #1 soap. I'm the same with the reserve base - finicky IMO.
#3,054
Even though I have bought quite a few B&M soaps over the years, they weren't what I considered top tier(performance wise) in my den ..... until I tried the Reserve base.

Reserve Fern exceeded my expectation in almost every aspect. I haven't used any other soap that is easier to lather (not that it is a big deal). The slickness, post shave, scent are all better than earlier iterations of B&M soaps. Only minor issue I have is the lack of firmness of the soap ( but that really is a negligible thing).

What can I say, job extremely well done!!
#3,055

Member
Detroit
(09-29-2017, 06:14 PM)iamsms Wrote: Even though I have bought quite a few B&M soaps over the years, they weren't what I considered top tier(performance wise) in my den ..... until I tried the Reserve base.

Reserve Fern exceeded my expectation in almost every aspect. I haven't used any other soap that is easier to lather (not that it is a big deal). The slickness, post shave, scent are all better than earlier iterations of B&M soaps. Only minor issue I have is the lack of firmness of the soap ( but that really is a negligible thing).

What can I say, job extremely well done!!

+1
- Jeff
#3,056

Member
East Texas
(09-29-2017, 06:14 PM)iamsms Wrote: Even though I have bought quite a few B&M soaps over the years, they weren't what I considered top tier(performance wise) in my den ..... until I tried the Reserve base.

Reserve Fern exceeded my expectation in almost every aspect. I haven't used any other soap that is easier to lather (not that it is a big deal). The slickness, post shave, scent are all better than earlier iterations of B&M soaps. Only minor issue I have is the lack of firmness of the soap ( but that really is a negligible thing).

What can I say, job extremely well done!!

I partially agree with you.  Until Reserve came along, Glissant was my benchmark soap.

To clarify benchmark (for me anyway):

It excels in the following:

  1. Ease of lather (in the presence of hard water)
  2. Slickness
  3. Residual slickness
  4. Cushion *
  5. Post-shave

*Cushion is a nebulous term in shaving, so what I'm calling cushion means protection.  I'm referring to the density of the lather that allows the comb or bar to float just above the skin. Some people may call that glide.  If the angle is right, the blade removes that cushion, which is where slickness becomes important.  Then, if you like to revisit some freshly shorn areas without reapplying lather, this is where residual slickness is important.  These are all my personal observations.  I have not seen an "official" glossary.

Just because my benchmark excels in all of the aforementioned attributes, it doesn't mean that it's the hands down winner in all of them.  For instance, there are other soaps that provide slickness superior to to my benchmark soap, but they don't necessarily excel in the other areas.

The bottom line is that there are about 8 artisans that are neck and neck with Glissant.  For now, anyway, I feel like Reserve is a skosh better than Glissant in terms of ease of lather.  I agree with you that ease of lather may be a small matter.  That is until you have extremely hard water.

Ultimately, there are many other factors that contribute to a soap's performance from an individual aspect (experience/technique/prep, hardware, skin, water attributes, hair attributes, etc.)

I do not consider cost, fragrance, or appearance while evaluating a soap's performance which is what makes this "hobby" so great right now.  There are so many artisans that provide products that perform so spectacularly, that we can look to more trivial aspects such as packaging or fragrance in deciding on which ones to purchase.
#3,057

Member
East Texas
I just used LLCW for the first time.  I really like the simple elegance of it.  Is there cade in it?  I don't think I ever saw that in the listing, but I get a sense of it.  It could very well just be how the lavender intermingles with the cedar.

[Image: yCooFPW.jpg]
#3,059
(10-13-2017, 02:05 PM)BoarderPhreak Wrote: In case y'alls was wonderin' - Barrister and Mann - Fougère Gothique - First Impression

This stuff is good men.


Link no working Sad
#3,060
BoarderPhreak - so you find the splash and Edt similar with just more medium notes in the edt?

I didn't originally buy the edt and received the splash today. I just wanted to know if there was a large difference.


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