Thanks, I'll do some reading on the scent and put it on the list. What's your impression of it, and would you mind sharing your other suggestions too?If you don't want to join The Club, get low scent Skeletor RIGHT NOW. It's available outside the club and at club price. I have other suggestions, but that's the best one I can make right now.
So, I decided against buying that one because I am a The Club member. Not because there is anything wrong with it. I ended up getting Vida, which is Club only. They both are essential oil based scents and Vida is about a 6 out of 10 for intensity. Whereas most of their scents are 8 or higher. At least with essential oils, it can be easier to figure out what is causing the trouble since the formulations are less complex. I bought The Novelist and I love the scent, but it is a 10/10 strength. It, probably the aftershave, does burn my face. Generally, their aftershaves are safe for sensitive skin. They have a lot of good stuff and the alcohol is low enough that I actually add some in palm. They have a great line of skin care products that should be safe, I use them. The reason I recommended Skeletor is because it is on sale so you don't have to join The Club to get their newest product and cheap enough that if it does cause trouble you won't be out a lot. I would highly recommend skipping Kaizen and getting K2 or K2e. I didn't think it would be that big of a difference, but it is enough that I cancelled buying several soaps until he gets them switched to K2. I believe some of the Pin Up series are now in K2 and might work for you. You might want to list which ones you find before you commit and see if anybody has any feedback about those specific ones. Sorry for the wall of text.Thanks, I'll do some reading on the scent and put it on the list. What's your impression of it, and would you mind sharing your other suggestions too?
I'm itching to jump into the A&E kaizen lineup but given the reputation of some scents causing fragrance burn for people with more sensitive skin, I was hoping I could get some suggestions on scents that are milder on the skin.
Thanks again, I'll keep all of that in mind. I'm definitely tempted by Skeletor because it's in K2e from what I understand. Aside from the pinup series are there any other non-Club soaps that are in K2? I'm having trouble telling from the A&E and Shaving Shop websites since the ingredients lists don't usually specify anything beyond "Kaizen ingredients" which could imply it's Kaizen 1 instead of Kaizen 2.So, I decided against buying that one because I am a The Club member. Not because there is anything wrong with it. I ended up getting Vida, which is Club only. They both are essential oil based scents and Vida is about a 6 out of 10 for intensity. Whereas most of their scents are 8 or higher. At least with essential oils, it can be easier to figure out what is causing the trouble since the formulations are less complex. I bought The Novelist and I love the scent, but it is a 10/10 strength. It, probably the aftershave, does burn my face. Generally, their aftershaves are safe for sensitive skin. They have a lot of good stuff and the alcohol is low enough that I actually add some in palm. They have a great line of skin care products that should be safe, I use them. The reason I recommended Skeletor is because it is on sale so you don't have to join The Club to get their newest product and cheap enough that if it does cause trouble you won't be out a lot. I would highly recommend skipping Kaizen and getting K2 or K2e. I didn't think it would be that big of a difference, but it is enough that I cancelled buying several soaps until he gets them switched to K2. I believe some of the Pin Up series are now in K2 and might work for you. You might want to list which ones you find before you commit and see if anybody has any feedback about those specific ones. Sorry for the wall of text.
That's great to hear, SoCal Hipster, Spartacus, and Monte Carlo are three of the four scents that sounded up my alley from the descriptions. The other one I was considering is The Undersea. I should probably order the samples soon so that I'll be ready to splurge on my winners on Black Friday.I’d suggest purchasing samples of certain brands first, A&E is one of them due to the very strong scents of most of their soaps. Maggard and Shavedash have A&E samples, doubt any are in anything newer then Kaizen base for now, but it gives you a good idea of the scent and if you have any issues / reactions with the scent strength.
A note on allergies, sensitivities and reactions. When you have a reaction, each time you use, eat or whatever you do to have that reaction, it will likely get worse each subsequent time. So if you buy a soap and get a fragrance burn shave one, by the time you have enough shaves to finish the soap tub, imagine how uncomfortable that fragrance burn will likely be.
I don’t have sensitive skin and have only had reactions to soaps that contain almond oil (tree nut allergy) and some A&E soaps (don’t contain almond oil). I’ve tried 10 different scents from A&E in either full size tubs or samples and have had frag burn from some of them and find most of the others I’ve tried to be really really strong and some too sweet. I love the smell of SoCal Hipster and will always have it on hand even though it is strong scented (no frag burn). The others I’ve tried that I can use is Monte Carlo, Spartacus and Never Alone (was a limited release in September they said was only available for the two releases so don’t think it’ll be available anymore).
So if you are going to get samples, Signature is K2. It's available from Maggards. I ordered it to compare before I joined The Club. It's not my cuppa, but I don't think it would be irritating. The Undersea is the one I am waiting till next year hoping they switch it to K2, I have a sample and it is so nice.Thanks again, I'll keep all of that in mind. I'm definitely tempted by Skeletor because it's in K2e from what I understand. Aside from the pinup series are there any other non-Club soaps that are in K2? I'm having trouble telling from the A&E and Shaving Shop websites since the ingredients lists don't usually specify anything beyond "Kaizen ingredients" which could imply it's Kaizen 1 instead of Kaizen 2.
That's unfortunate for me. Maybe I should wait until K2 makes its way to the soaps I think I'll like.So if you are going to get samples, Signature is K2. It's available from Maggards. I ordered it to compare before I joined The Club. It's not my cuppa, but I don't think it would be irritating. The Undersea is the one I am waiting till next year hoping they switch it to K2, I have a sample and it is so nice.
I see forbidden fruit is now K2. And Club Baccara. If you go to the shaving shop club website and click The Club brand then change the sort to Price high to low, most of the first page is K2. I counted 11 scents total. SoCal is not one of them. Pin Up series is on page 3 of this sort order.
I have a Pin Up in Kaizen and thought I was getting K2, I am not upset because I like the scent. Undersea is a Summer Aquatic so if you wait, it might be 6 months. But, he is changing the label and the Pin Ups did just get switched so I am betting on it happening sooner. If you have your mind set on a Kaizen scent, you can add hyaluronic acid to the lather and it will do the trick. K2 has more stuff, but not much. Do give the aftershave a try or get the skin food cream, I use both. There is an Undersea candle that I think is only available to The Club that is going in an upcoming order.That's unfortunate for me. Maybe I should wait until K2 makes its way to the soaps I think I'll like.
Do we know how often he moves scents over to the new base? I know if I were doing it, I'd probably wait until I'm low on inventory before I start making more soap in the new base. I know nothing about soap making or the business though so I shouldn't be making assumptions.I have a Pin Up in Kaizen and thought I was getting K2, I am not upset because I like the scent. Undersea is a Summer Aquatic so if you wait, it might be 6 months. But, he is changing the label and the Pin Ups did just get switched so I am betting on it happening sooner. If you have your mind set on a Kaizen scent, you can add hyaluronic acid to the lather and it will do the trick. K2 has more stuff, but not much. Do give the aftershave a try or get the skin food cream, I use both. There is an Undersea candle that I think is only available to The Club that is going in an upcoming order.
That was my understanding, he was switching the Pin Ups when I ordered from Maggards. That's how I ended up with K1 instead of K2. He needs to be careful not to switch them when retailers have a lot of stock otherwise he is screwing them out of sales. The Pin Up switch was not public knowledge so I guess that's how he kept Brad happy. Somebody here let that horse out of the stable. This has been a problem when US artisans sell in Europe, even more retailer stock. Kaizen itself means continuous evolution, to sound like his salesman, and he indicated that once something can be improved, he moves everything over. Eventually. K2e is The Club only still, but I have heard complaints that he still hasn't moved everything to K2 and now he is evolving again. The Emu oil is pricey and I doubt it will become the next base, but he may sell soaps that are Club only in the future. So finally, my comment about Undersea was that he may be taking his time switching it because retailers have too much stock because it is technically a summer scent. Frankly, in spite of the confusion, I am super happy about the scents and the K2e base available through The Club. If I wasn't so greedy, I could have bought Vida and maybe one other to get me till next Spring and had no want for anything better. Had I jumped on The Undersea like I did with the Pin Up, I would have regretted being impatient when there are a dozen other K2 scents to choose from.Do we know how often he moves scents over to the new base? I know if I were doing it, I'd probably wait until I'm low on inventory before I start making more soap in the new base. I know nothing about soap making or the business though so I shouldn't be making assumptions.
The soaps with the scent descriptions that stood out to me were Grecian Horse, SoCal Hipster, Undersea, Monte Carlo, and Fruit de la Passion (never used a floral before but I'd like to sample something like it for reference). I'm sure there more in the Club I would be interested in, but I can't see all of them since they are hidden from non-subscribers. I don't enjoy any cannabis-related scents, and I also don't enjoy the smell of cigarettes/cigars/pipe tobacco. That being said the only scents I have in my modest den are Stirling Executive Man, Mitchell's Wool Fat, TOBS Sandalwood, TOBS Jermyn Street, and TOBS Peppermint.Unfortunately, your best bet is to order a sample of Signature. It's under The Club, not A&E. It's the only K2 sample currently available. I am taking a look at the A&E samples right now to make a scent recommendation, but you should still get Signature to judge K2.
Edit: maybe post a couple that you are thinking about, there are several that might be good for you. The undersea is always safe.
Thanks, I'll keep that in the short list.@rally - I recently received Low-Scent Skeletor in K2 and it's a very mild scent. This may be something for you to consider trying. I found it far milder than my other A&E/Club scents, and quite pleasant. Here's their description: Notes: Cucumber, Bamboo, Bitter Orange eo (Italy), Clementine eo (Italy), Clary Sage, Melon, Bay Leaf, Australian Sandalwood. In use, I got mostly cucumber and just a touch of citrus and sage.