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Expressions of Lavender Week

I think it is time for another themed-week. Starting tomorrow I am going to shave with various lavender scented products and compare them. In the early lineup:

QED Anise & Lavender soap
Castle Forbes Lavender
Taylors (new) lavender
AOS lavender

I think I have some other stuff about as well. Keep an eye out in the SOTD for the pictures, and this thread for additional commentary.

If anyone has any T&H Lavender or Harris Lavender, break them out this week to compare - those are two I don't have in my repertoire (yet).
 
I have some T & H Lavender I could make a few samples and could trade with you for something else, perhaps the New Taylors. I have some of the old if you want to sample that too.

PM me if interested.
 
Are you going to incude the KMF offering in this comparison? Might be interesting to include a bargain brand like KMF...
 
Scotto, I'd be particularly interested in your take on the CF lavender. Too pricey for me to pull the trigger without a veteran review. I have a sample of the lime that I am quite fond of. Lime in general is a little drying to me so I am keen to see how the Lavender fares.
Cheers,
Jeff
 
Today's shave - QED Anise & lavender soap. This is one of my top 3 QED scents. It merges the licorice qualities of anise with the subtle background of minty lavender. Really a wonderful scent. And the shave? Typical QED - loads of slick, scented lather. Nothing cuts as close. This scent tends more towards the anise than the lavender, but the combination is sublime. The perfect accompaniment was the L'Occitane Eau de Badian, with its intense anise notes.

On deck for tomorrow - Castle Forbes lavender.
 
Today was a straight ahead lavender trip: Castle Forbes. Confession time: I just don't get it. It smells nice enough, produces good lather (after a major PIA whipping up this ridiculously thick stuff), but I find the shave pretty mediocre. Oh well, to each his own.
 
Scotto said:
Today was a straight ahead lavender trip: Castle Forbes. Confession time: I just don't get it. It smells nice enough, produces good lather (after a major PIA whipping up this ridiculously thick stuff), but I find the shave pretty mediocre. Oh well, to each his own.

Too bad, you saved me a bit of money though.
Cheers,
Jeff
 
I have to say, the AOS lavender (on tap for tomorrow's shave) is the pinnacle of lavender creams, in my never humble opinion. I love the way they have highlighted the minty aspects of the herb, and the shave is absolutely first rate.
 
Scotto said:
Today was a straight ahead lavender trip: Castle Forbes. Confession time: I just don't get it. It smells nice enough, produces good lather (after a major PIA whipping up this ridiculously thick stuff), but I find the shave pretty mediocre. Oh well, to each his own.

I know it goes against the tide of popular opinion, but I have to agree the shave I get from CF Lavender is 'pretty mediocre' as well. As a matter of fact, in order to enhance the performance of the shave I've been addding some Kiss My Face Lavender cream to the mug before I plunge my CF loaded brush in for the lather making process. Makes a nice rich lather that shaves really well.

I just ordered the AOS Lavender. Never tried any AOS products but being a lover of lavender I just had to try it after Scotto's endorsement of it. We shall see in a few days! :biggrin:
 
Well, today's lavender shave was AOS. I had a fresh tub after finishing my previous one, so I popped that bad boy open and.... Did someone replace the contents with Castle Forbes lavender? This stuff is different than what I have had before. The texture is super dense, almost like CF. The scent is also different. Instead of the minty expression of lavender I am used to from AOS, this was a soft, sweet lavender aroma very similar to CF. Very strange. I am not sure if this tub is an anomaly or if perhaps AOS has been dorking around with their formulation. I am going to drop them a note and see if they have any words of wisdom.

By the way, the shave was fantastic as usual. The scent is actually lovely, but different from what I am used to. I'll do some research and see what I can uncover. If there are other AOS lavender users out there, I would be curious to hear your thoughts.
 

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Hmmm. Very strange about the CF-like AOS tub.

I think the AOS has the nicest lavender scent, but although it gives a very good shave, I give the nod to the Harris version for sheer cushioning power. I assume I have the "older" AOS formula, as it definately has that unmistakeable minty component, and is not noticeably dense.
 
Scotto,

I've never tried any CF creams, so I can't make a direct comparison.

The consistency of my tub of AOS lavender is fairly dense. It's somewhat denser than my Harris, much denser than a brand new tub of Taylor's almond. Which is very light, firm, and slightly foamy.

As far as the aroma, it's smells like a true lavender EO to me, only milder.
 
Scotto said:
Well, today's lavender shave was AOS. I had a fresh tub after finishing my previous one, so I popped that bad boy open and.... Did someone replace the contents with Castle Forbes lavender? This stuff is different than what I have had before. The texture is super dense, almost like CF. The scent is also different. Instead of the minty expression of lavender I am used to from AOS, this was a soft, sweet lavender aroma very similar to CF. Very strange. I am not sure if this tub is an anomaly or if perhaps AOS has been dorking around with their formulation. I am going to drop them a note and see if they have any words of wisdom.

By the way, the shave was fantastic as usual. The scent is actually lovely, but different from what I am used to. I'll do some research and see what I can uncover. If there are other AOS lavender users out there, I would be curious to hear your thoughts.

Hi Scott. Very interesting. I love the CF lavender. It's really my best performer. I like AOS too and found the bit I tried to be top shelf. It's also fascinating that you sense a change in aroma. To be fair, it is scented with REAL essential oils and that means that there can NEVER be true, 100% identical results from batch to batch. They may get close but remember, this is a botique product too and like our British faves, there is bound to be a bit of variation from time to time. How about this. Take the AOS cream and stir it up good and let it sit open on the counter for about two hours. Replace the lid and let it sit til tomorrow morning. Recheck the scent and see if it's different. Maybe you got a turbo scented bowl of cream and a good airing may soften the aroma? Just a thought.

Regards, Todd
 
Today was the last of the lavender creams/soaps I have (for the moment :wink: ) - Taylor's Lavender. I must say that Taylor did a great job reformulating this stuff. It went from that quirky fragrance oil scent (which didn't smell much like lavender, IMO), to a nice EO scented cream. Subtle, sweet lavender. The shave is as good as always. I'll still give the edge to the AOS, though.
 
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In a show of mundane solidarity I too used the Taylor of Old BS Lavender (without even knowing you would stoop to such a plebian offering). Nice shave, old formulation, a great deal of rich lather. So as not to appear fulsome, I stop praising the cream. The good ol' QED Lavender water spritz down preceding Ahava Dead Sea Salt aftershave balm (neutral fragrance), and then.... The piece de resistance! The Geo. F. Trumper Lavender Water cologne. Two hours and still delightful.. The countdown continues.:w00t:
 
Scotto said:
It was a joke relative to Castle Forbes, I believe. Taylor's is great stuff.
Right you are. Make a note to limit the FOG INDEX. Going on 4 hours and still delightful. Fragrance of joy! Back to the Italian Village in Atlantic City on the Million Dollars pier.. Definitely has both English and Mediterranean Lavender.
Ah, but tomorrow either GFT Violet or QED Violetta, followed by some sequence of goodies and then GFT Ajaccio Violet cologne... :tongue_sm
 
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