Queen Charlotte Soaps - Vostok

Had to pay for p&p from Germany to UK, as QCS currently don't have a supplier here.
This is a firm, waxy cream with a fairly restrained minerally/menthol scent which is quite pleasant.
It lathers like a champ. Very easy to build a thick, velvety lather with a small amount of product. I face lather, so this really shows up the great latherability of QCS Vostok.
The main thing is, of course the face freeze. That's what you pay your admission fee for & it does not disappoint. The cold water rinse after 3 passes of this stuff is something every menthol lover should experience.
It seems to leave my face feeling pretty soft hours afterwards, maybe not quite as good as TOBS avocado in this sense, but still way above average.
Thoroughly recommended!

This is a super-mentholated cream which is so easy to lather and smells like.......strong menthol but in a nice way. The cream's cooling effect freezes like Siberia in mid-winter and gives a good moisturizing effect which is important after a shave. Honestly, this stuff kicks Proraso Green, Godrej Menthol Mist, and Palmolive Menthol out of the park in terms of cooling feeling. I forget what I paid for it, but it wasn't a bank-buster.

Had my first shave w/ Queen Charlotte Soaps Vostok and it was an arctic blast!

PRICE: 5 oz of the coldest shave product I have used to date. When Matt was selling these tubs @ 1/2 the price, he was basically giving away product. You can pay more and get a better product(debatable), but considering all factors, this is about right.

QUALITY: QCS owns this category; I do not have any Castle Forbes creams as of yet, but I do own 2 jars of AOS and this definitely compares favorably. Although a shave cream soap, the density does not get in the way of loading or applying-just add water and away we go.

SCENT: Clean and crisp-what you would expect on a cold winter day. The menthol does not overpower either.

LATHERABILITY: A major area-if you cannot get this soap to lather, just step away from the world of wetshaving; nothing we can say or do will help you. Load brush, apply to wet face, dip tips and BOOM! I lathered my face and head twice and still had plenty in the brush for at least 3 more passes. This is the first soap SWMBO stated she would be shaving with(not once I hide it!)

EFFICACY: Provides glide, cushion, and cold to your face. No need to use cold water-once this hits your face, the cold sets in. It's like shaving with a pillowy cushion of ice cubes. No nicks or cuts. The cold water splash just reawakens the power of the Vostok all over again.

MOISTURIZING PROPERTIES: glycerin, tallow(!), palm oil, olive oil, and coconut oil make your face feel as smooth as a baby's bottom. SWMBO didn't even shave, but rubbed the lather on her face and refused to rinse it off saying it felt great-OTOH, I just want to shave with it again tonight!

PACKAGING: Vostok comes in a white plastic tub w/ black lid filled to the brim. Some may call that basic,plain-to me it's simple and classic. Clean lines and no overall busyness in presentation-the soap speaks for itself.

This is how you do menthol! Give me the cold w/o the medicinal smell. Proraso cream is nice if you want a cool breeze; use Vostok when you want the A/C on full blast(especially followed by Osage Rub).

Forget York Peppermint Patty- get the sensation and order some Vostok!

Well done Matt!


marty

The Texas heat is upon me...

But I will wage war against it with Vostok, the most cooling, face-freezing shave cream I have ever used. Superior lather, quality, price, smell, feeling.

Number 2 in the rotation. With my shave den, that's quite a statement.

P.S.
Finish this up with some Osage Rub, and you will be frozen

HOLY FROZEN OVER HELL. I could smell the menthol as I was whipping it up. It opened up my lungs my sinus' OMG I could breathe. I followed my normal procedure with my bowl in my sink filled with hot water so when I was appling the lather it was still warm, and I was thinking to myself "this isn't the coldness everyone was talking about" Then it hit me. It was like I was snowboarding again and just jumped off a 30 ft cliff landing in 8 feet of powder rushing your face. I LOVED IT!!! towards the end of the shave it was even so cold that I had some tiny tears popping out. I am defiantly going to have to order a full size when my sample runs out. Will be perfect for those hot summer days.

Price Very reasonably priced. I purchased a sample pack but when it is done I will be buying the full size and I defiantly don't mind paying $12 a tub, especially when it is going to another B&B member.
QualityTop Notch. You can use it either like a cream or soap, swirl your brush on it or just take a tiny scoop. I just put a small almond sized scoop into my bowl and within a couple seconds I had some of the thickest, slickest lather.
ScentIf you like menthol this is a must. And if you do not like strong menthol he does make a Vostok lite. Like a winter blast in your face.
Latherability Another 10. I lathered using a Made-Rite handle with a 22mm silvertip knot from TGN and within seconds I had tons of lather
Efficacy Not much more to say but that it has now become one of my go to creams/soaps
Moisturizing PropertiesMy face seems to never be dry, so it is a tad hard to tell. It does contain Tallow. Left my face feeling very soft and smooth without using any AS or moisturizer. Never once came close to drying out in the bowl.
Packaging Again I got a sample pack , but I do love how his full size tubs look. Another note to add is the excellent shipping. I placed my order on a Friday and my box arrived the very next Monday.

Over-all: A keeper and a hats-off to mretzloff on an outstanding product.