I have owned a tub of Wholly Kaw Cuero Oscuro Special Edition for a couple of months now and have had the opportunity to shave with it 6 times or so. This soap produces a rich, creamy lather that shaves wonderfully. And oh that post shave feel. My face feels supple and lubricated from using the donkey milk super cream formula. I possess the matching AS and balm as well. I use them together and they match well.
@BaylorGator, in his excellent review of 70+ soaps, describes Wholly Kaw generally as follows: "Grade A+ (Truly Outstanding)
Wholly Kaw - This soap may actually be flawless. Rich luxurious lather (that won’t break down no matter how much water you throw at it) provides superior cushion with plenty of slickness. From a performance standpoint, it honestly lacks nothing. Well crafted scents that are reminiscent of French perfume/cologne, which may narrow its appeal a bit to some."
The performance is therefore top tier. This begs the question: what about the scent?
Wholly Kaw Scent notes:
"Cuero Oscuro or Dark Leather – A dark and very masculine scent for Fall and Winter. This scent is not floral, fruity or powdery. Leathery and smoky. A radical departure from our other scents. In developing this scent, we saw a fork in the road and we took it. Off the beaten path. Off to an adventure that took us to unexplored olfactory journey.
A masterful blend of leather, vetiver, cedarwood, tobacco, patchouli, oakmoss and coffee to top it off. Think of rawhide leather scent or boots."
I am somewhat olfactorily challenged (my wife is constantly telling me she smells something that I simply do not sense) but Cuero Oscuro powers its way through my limitations. I definitely smell the leather and the coffee as well. It is like stepping through the door of a fine leather goods store with the aroma from beautifully crafted briefcases and other leather goods assaulting the senses. Yet there is something more going on here--a fine cognac note stemming from which ingredients I know not but it is there. This is a finely crafted olfactory symphony of the darker notes.
Still, Cuero Oscuro's scent may not be for everyone. I made some reference to a different soap having that similar leather note in another thread, Grooming Department's Absinthe & Leather, and @dabrock leveled a classic retort complete with a Ralphing emoji. I like Absinthe & Leather just as I like Cuero Oscuro (I actually like the scent of Cuero Oscuro more) but I understand how some just will not like it at all. This is a pungently crafted assault on the senses that may not suit everyone so I would suggest trying a sample if you can lay your hands on one.
@BaylorGator, in his excellent review of 70+ soaps, describes Wholly Kaw generally as follows: "Grade A+ (Truly Outstanding)
Wholly Kaw - This soap may actually be flawless. Rich luxurious lather (that won’t break down no matter how much water you throw at it) provides superior cushion with plenty of slickness. From a performance standpoint, it honestly lacks nothing. Well crafted scents that are reminiscent of French perfume/cologne, which may narrow its appeal a bit to some."
The performance is therefore top tier. This begs the question: what about the scent?
Wholly Kaw Scent notes:
"Cuero Oscuro or Dark Leather – A dark and very masculine scent for Fall and Winter. This scent is not floral, fruity or powdery. Leathery and smoky. A radical departure from our other scents. In developing this scent, we saw a fork in the road and we took it. Off the beaten path. Off to an adventure that took us to unexplored olfactory journey.
A masterful blend of leather, vetiver, cedarwood, tobacco, patchouli, oakmoss and coffee to top it off. Think of rawhide leather scent or boots."
I am somewhat olfactorily challenged (my wife is constantly telling me she smells something that I simply do not sense) but Cuero Oscuro powers its way through my limitations. I definitely smell the leather and the coffee as well. It is like stepping through the door of a fine leather goods store with the aroma from beautifully crafted briefcases and other leather goods assaulting the senses. Yet there is something more going on here--a fine cognac note stemming from which ingredients I know not but it is there. This is a finely crafted olfactory symphony of the darker notes.
Still, Cuero Oscuro's scent may not be for everyone. I made some reference to a different soap having that similar leather note in another thread, Grooming Department's Absinthe & Leather, and @dabrock leveled a classic retort complete with a Ralphing emoji. I like Absinthe & Leather just as I like Cuero Oscuro (I actually like the scent of Cuero Oscuro more) but I understand how some just will not like it at all. This is a pungently crafted assault on the senses that may not suit everyone so I would suggest trying a sample if you can lay your hands on one.
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I'll probably skip this scent but I love MfM so I'll probably stick to that for my main WK but the way you describe this actually sounds good. I think it was more the Absinth rather than the leather that I didn't like in the GD soap.
