Got the Noble Otter soaps yesterday, the Barrbarr and the Thé Noir Et Vanille, and they got here very quickly, with a personal note-always a nice touch.
Shaved with the Barrbarr this morning, and I was very impressed.
Extremely easy to lather, and it can take lots of water.
I'm not one who's very good at describing scents, but to my nose, the Barrbarr was a barber shop scent with a bottom note of sandalwood and patchouli that balanced out the citrus accords nicely. The Thé Noir Et Vanille smelled like being served a cup of black tea and having strawberry and currant jam on the side to go with the scones. The 'fruitiness' is balanced by the tea notes. Haven't shaved with it yet, but it's a very nice scent from the tub.
I've been shaving with a straight razor for the better part of the last year, and the glide of a soap is the most important factor to me. This soap has a wonderful combination of glossy lather and cushioning with superior glide. After a second pass, I did some touch ups with a straight razor with just the residual that was on the face, and the razor glided so smoothly.
Squeezed the extra soap from the brush and put it on the face after the shave while I cleaned up and stropped the razor, and after rinsing, really didn't need an after shave or balm. Very soft, moisturized-but-not-heavy post shave feel.
What a wonderful shave.
This is a soap than can hold its own with the established artisans' tallow soaps such as Declaration Grooming, Grooming Dept, Barrister & Mann, Wholly Kaw donkey milk, A&E new, etc.
What an amazing time to be a wet shaver. When I first joined here, I was making the transition from a 'roll your own' shaving mix from Method Shaving to the 'modern' soaps, and
vtmax mentioned that with the new soaps, all of that mixing of oils, balms and creams wasn't necessary. With the latest releases from artisans, both established and new, I am beginning to see what he meant.
