The very best luxury soaps/creams, money no object

Wonderfully helpful responses onethinline & NeoXerxes. So if my favorite fragrance is Amouage Jubilation XXV, then I should get Rossa like yesterday?

SharpSpine It's a relatively safe purchase for you, I would think. It has a similar scent style to an Amouage (which you'll recognize instantly - onethinline and I independently identified this comparison while simultaneously writing a post), so if you like Amouage fragrances you'd probably love the scent. And it's performance is excellent - one of the very best on the market. Basically, yes .

I will only be able to tell you the performance of the Eufros as I haven't tested the any Jabonman, but what I heard is what Celestino says, that Eufros is just Jabonman with an improved scent. Eufros Premium, though, uses better quality oils, scents and ingredients, hence the higher price. According to Manuel, this weekend he should have his Vetiver de Haiti after shave balm ready, so if everything goes according to plan, next week I should be having my first shave with my Eufros soap and after shave balm, which is, needless to say, something I'm strongly looking forward to doing.

Samples. Broadly discussed matter in many places. I myself find it a bit frustrating that they're not so readily available. I've seen samples of Alvarez Gómez EdC, not of their shaving cream. By the way, the EdC is lovely and I purchased shortly after the shaving cream. I understand and respect how you do your tests and purchases, but just as a note, if some day you do succumb to temptation and impulse buy this shaving cream, I bet you won't be dissappointed  

@"Schrittmacher" thanks mate! I appreciate the comments and information. I trust celestino completely on the comparison, so I'm betting you will enjoy the shave! Jabonman is a great soap, and Eufros shouldn't be any different.

I have a feeling I'd love the EdC and scent of Alvarez Gomez, since I very much enjoy traditional eau de cologne compositions (it's one of my favorite genres in perfumery). I'd still prefer to get a sample of the cream first, so I'll hold out for a bit, but if I wait long enough a tub might "accidentally" find its way into my collection . I prefer in most cases to do a thorough evaluation before a purchase. My analytical purchasing/evaluating method has worked quite well so far - I haven't needed to sell off a single thing. Overall, I think a 100% success rate in purchases is quite good .

IndieScents.com is the only place I know of. There aren't many places where one can purchase the EDT, especially in the US.

Thanks for the tip.

NeoXerxes, I ordered the Steam Punk EdT last night so, again, thanks for the tip.

You're quite welcome Freddy! Glad I could be of service . I think you'll enjoy the fragrance, since it smells to me like a more concentrated version of the same fragrance oils that are used in Steampunk. Either way, do let us know how you like it!

Oh Boy, all subscribed and hunkered down to enjoy this thread! Love your style NeoXerxes, and though hunkered down, I'm on the edge of my hunker eagerly anticipating each review.

Though all the tangential input from we readers will add interest and color to NeoXerxes' reviews, we should remember that there will seldom be a meaningful correlation between our results and his. And, why is that you ask? (See, you've forgotten already) NeoXerxes' raison d'être for his testing is based on two and only two special criteria. 1. Price is ABSOLUTELY NO OBJECT! and 2. He is blessed with a skin condition that few of us share... Thank God! Worse, it seems far more soaps exacerbate this condition than not!

Therefore, his reviews are aimed almost wholly on amelioration of that condition with the knowledge that it may require the holdings of Ft. Knox to enable the purchase of 'the good ones'. (Forgot, there's little left in Ft. Knox, so how about some of Donald Trump's billions)? And that, dear friends, is why our favorites will usually not correspond with those of NeoXerxes.

beamon, I'm flattered and very much appreciate your enthusiasm . But I should hope that no one considers their input tangential. If anything my own contributions are tangential, as they are mere reflections/analysis on products and are intended to stimulate further discussion on the topic. In that regard it seems to be working, and I'm very happy to see the heavy participation on this thread!

As for your two comments on my raison d'être, I've already explained that the "price is no object" phrase is intended to frame discussion on performance or what constitutes "the very best" as opposed to value or cost. And secondly, it's an unfortunate truth, but I think that lots of folks share my sensitive skin issues (though not always precisely in the same form) . I'm trying to do the best I can to give attention to sensitive skin concerns in my own evaluations of products.

On your last paragraph, I'm really not sure what you are referring to with the Ft. Knox and Donald Trump remarks. Perhaps I am being dense.

On your last paragraph, I'm really not sure what you are referring to with the Ft. Knox and Donald Trump remarks. Perhaps I am being dense.

Or me being obtuse? Just expanding on the very high prices on what you're looking into and how the prices might require the reserves of Ft. Knox to acquire them. Embeded in there is my dissatisfaction with how the reserves of Ft. Knox have been liquidated to a fraction of what they once were and how Mr. Trump's wealth could help if Ft. Knox isn't enough. Spillover from this most political of all seasons, that's all.

On your last paragraph, I'm really not sure what you are referring to with the Ft. Knox and Donald Trump remarks. Perhaps I am being dense.

Or me being obtuse? Just expanding on the very high prices on what you're looking into and how the prices might require the reserves of Ft. Knox to acquire them. Embeded in there is my dissatisfaction with how the reserves of Ft. Knox have been liquidated to a fraction of what they once were and how Mr. Trump's wealth could help if Ft. Knox isn't enough. Spillover from this most political of all seasons, that's all.

Ah hehe, that makes more sense! I've been following these political issues but failed to make the connection to the cost of these products (I was wondering if there was a class of luxury soaps that could command the price of multiple gold bars lol). I'm not sure they are quite expensive enough to merit the analogy, but I take the essence of your point in good humor .

CHSeifert , I understand you have some new acquisitions. Is the Pannacrema Nuávia a good fit for this thread? I have heard wonderful things about the Rossa and Blu.

For me it is Nuavia Blue hands down. Rosso I superb as well but I'm addicted to the scent of the Blue, and my wife loves it too.

NeoXerxes, I haven't been that tempted by the Nuavias but they are starting to cause an itch. Can you tell me more about their scent profile?

I doubt NeoXerxes will mind if I jump in here too. I have both Nuàvias and love them. My last obsessive hobby before this wet shaving thing was fragrances, and I like to think I've got a pretty good sniffer. Given whatever level of connoisseurship I can now claim, I'll vouch for these soaps having very well-judged, multi-layered, appealing fragrances.

Blu is a spicy-floral composition, with an impression of coriander, jasmine, a bit of lavender, and sweet warmth. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was inspired by Caron's classic Third Man (Troisieme Homme) fragrance from the 80s. By the way, you can grab Caron Third Man for great prices — gorgeous scent. I feel like Blu is the more immediately easy to like, as it has sort of a spicy classical masculine vibe.

Rossa is a rich, labdanum-weighted woody fragrance. The sandalwood is the Australian type, as opposed to Indian Mysore, which is good for me as I don't care for the latter. Labdanum (maybe it's opoponax here too?) plus an oud-wood accord give this a sensual, licked-skin vibe. It just vaguely edges on naughty, in a carnal, warm-bodies way, but it's not actually musky or funky. That hint makes it that much more alluring, actually. There's some cedar there too. Overall I get a rich, warm-toned, not desiccated, round wood effect. It's the sexier of the two, for sure.

The fine fragrance analog for Rossa that I can think of would be Amouage Epic Man, which has a similar oud-sandalwood effect. Also the sandalwood note in Rossa is similar to D.R. Harris Marlborough, though Marlborough is a more demure scent for sure.

Hope this helps!

This is an awesome post, thank you. I just purchased the Caron Third Man and if it is anything close to the scent of the Blue I will be in heaven.
I also found that Aftelier Perfumes exceptional Bergamoss scent is really enjoyable when paired with the Blue.

Stay away from The Third Man!  You will hear this music all day and feel compelled to sell drugs on the black market.  One of my all time favorites: scent, tune and movie.  

Caron make great fragrances, at very reasonable prices. Third Man is quite a sharp scent to me. Reminds me that I have an almost full 125 ml bottle I haven't used since 2013

Tom Slick I don't want to spoil anything, but from my testing, let's just say that PannaCrema Nuavia is a top contender for a special place on this thread.

This is an awesome post, thank you. I just purchased the Caron Third Man and if it is anything close to the scent of the Blue I will be in heaven.
I also found that Aftelier Perfumes exceptional Bergamoss scent is really enjoyable when paired with the Blue.

I can confidently say that if you like Nuàvia Blu, you will like Caron Third Man (and vice versa). They also pair very well, as you'd imagine. Enjoy!