I currently have two boxes of Art of Shaving Lavender (tallow first) shave soap and I cannot get past the clay smell. Since both C&S O&C and AoS Lavender are made my the same company, I'm curious whether C&S has the same clay smell as AoS? Also, is the levender scent stronger in O&C than AoS?
Czech & Speake Oxxford & Cambridge Shave Soap
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I don't notice the clay smell with the O&C, but find it prominent with the AOS. Also, the O&C really isn't a traditional lavender. Its more dark and complex. If you are looking for something along the lines of the AOS lavender, the O&C is a great performer and smells fantastic, but it does not smell anywhere close to the AOS.
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- #3
I use O&C EdT during the summer and really like the scent.
Definitely no clay smell from O&C and whilst it isn't pure lavender( a base of oak moss with a mix of English/French Lavender and Bergamot, topped with peppermint and Rosemary essential oils), I am totally hooked. With this soap around, I don't need the AoS, tallow or otherwise.
I would say that there is a base scent in C&S that is also present in AOS soaps, if this is a clay smell or not is up to other to decide. Scent is moderate and also on pair with AOS.
As others have mentioned, the O&C scent is much more complex than the singular AoS Lavender. I find the scent of O&C to be more powerful than the AoS Lavender as well. That said, I have to somewhat agree with John that the base clay/tallow/earthy scent is there in the background with O&C. The way I see it C&S has a great complex scent with the slight clay/tallow/earthy scent the background, while AoS Lavender has a great clay/tallow/earthy scent with a slight lavender scent in the background.
I happen to really like the clay/tallow/earthy scent in AoS (unscented is my favorite), so my opinion is likely very unhelpful to you. You need to find someone that loves O&C and dislikes the AoS (any flavor) because of the clay/tallow/earthy scent.
I happen to really like the clay/tallow/earthy scent in AoS (unscented is my favorite), so my opinion is likely very unhelpful to you. You need to find someone that loves O&C and dislikes the AoS (any flavor) because of the clay/tallow/earthy scent.
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The scent is definitely stronger in the O&C. I do not LOVE the clay scent in AOS, but I detect it. It is not prominent to my nose in the C&S soaps. But that is just my nose
I've never tried O&C, but I love my #88. It's a great performer, and smells like heaven. Of course it comes at a price.
I've tried the AOS Sandalwood and smelled the AOS lavender. I recall the "clay" scent to which you refer in AOS soaps. I don't find it in Czech and Speake's Oxford and Cambridge, but there might be just a hint of it in their #88. It's been awhile since I smelled the AOS lavender, but my recollection is that about all I smelled was the faint clay-like smell. C&S Oxford and Cambridge was much more strongly scented, though not necessarily strong. And as others have noted, it's not a straight lavender. It's one of my favorites.
That would be me. I get virtually no clay out of the C&S, but that might be a distraction caused by their intended scent which is one of the best of any soap I've tried. It is a very mature, elegant aroma and the performance of it is fantastic. I really can't judge the AOS performance because I couldn't get past all that clay and had to quit on it. As an oud lover, you can imagine that I don't quit on much in the way of earthy scents.
In terms of scent, I don't find the two of them alike at all. Sell your AOS tallow and get some C&S.
A top shelf soap from the packaging to scent to shave. I am enamoured of the O&C scent. One of the very best in shave soaps. As David points out it is a complex scent and most closely resembles what most of us would call one of the British styled 'Fern' scents or Fougere for the French. It is a bit nicer to me than even Penhaligon's English Fern or Trumper's Wild Fern though I love both of them. I am speaking purely of scent here. Performance puts O&C shave soaps leagues ahead of either of the two other brands.
David, I am happy to see you posting again. I hadn't noticed you around for awhile. I hope this does not sound ridiculous if you have been posting and I just missed it. Great description of O&C.
Cheers, Todd
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- #12
Thanks for all the replies, I love Oxford & Cambridge cologne and wear it frequently during the spring/summer. I think I will sell my two pucks of AoS Lavender and buy a puck of O&C.
Now you're talking sense! I have a puck of the O&C myself -- great stuff. Personally, I like it much better than AoS lavender (I sold off my lavender puck).
Enjoy!
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- #14
It doesn't happen often.
Anyone here recommend the aluminium/metal container for the O&C / No.88 soaps? I know they are stellar soaps but the bowls (which cost an arm, leg and a shoulder) look uber-cool!
Rum,
A friend has the 160 dollar aluminum container which he received as a gift. He says it's in no way worth the money, but it's the only part of his shave den that would survive a nuclear attack. He also confirms that it is "uber-cool" and I don't think he'd ever part with it. If you have 160 to spend on something 99% of your friends won't understand but the other 1% will be terribly jealous about, then this is the thing.
LOL, thanks guys!! I have plenty of other soaps that cost just about as much. My only "time" with a C&S soap was a very small No.88 puck (travel size) that was given to me ages ago. I couldn't lather it properly owing to the fact that my brush was big and the soap was small. I had no adequate container to put it in so it was spinning around on itself. It smelled fairly nice though.
Being in the UK, I've popped in to the C&S store on Jermyn Street a couple of times (albeit some time ago) and I've seen the black bowl for the No.88 soap. I really liked that one; not the O&C one though. Over here it/both cost as much as in the US, which I know is quite a lot. The other bad point is that if I get bored of it, I can't use it with another soap and I may end up selling it at a huge loss.
I'm with the group that detects the smell (I think "clay smell") might be a misnomer as I'm not sure clay is actually an ingredient in these soaps. I would also agree it's more prominent in the #88 than the O&C but I think that's only because the #88's fragrance doesn't do as much to disguise it.
But the background smell - whatever it is - is common to AoS, C&S and Valobra stick (which is unscented - so it's more of a foreground smell in that one).
But the background smell - whatever it is - is common to AoS, C&S and Valobra stick (which is unscented - so it's more of a foreground smell in that one).
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- #20
But we can all agree that you get more scent from O&C shave soap than the AoS Lavender shave soap?
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