I recently grabbed a few new shave soaps, along with a Vie-Long 14830 horsehair brush. Here's a review of each, with an initial grade from C- to A+, followed by a qualitative assessment:
1.) Vie-Long 14830: A+
I know there is a lot of skepticism about horsehair brushes, but I have to say that this Vie-Long ($36) is every bit as good as my Omega badger ($115). I actually like the horsehair because it is much more firm and does a better job of prepping my dense facial hair. The Omega feels luxurious, but it is so fine and soft that it doesn't engage the stubble as much; it just lathers over the hair. The Vie-Long seems to really stimulate my face and raise the whiskers so that there is less tugging once I apply the blade. I highly recommend this brush to anyone of Irish stock or who otherwise has very dense, thick facial hair.
2.) Fine Green Vetiver: B+
After all the hype about Fine Accoutrements, I finally decided to give one of their soaps a try. I'm not the biggest fan of this scent. The top notes are nice, but there's a dense smell that composes the base that I don't necessarily like. It almost smells like wet tree bark. To be fair, I really don't know what vetiver is, so perhaps the fault is mine for buying a scent that I didn't fully research. The lather is really good, however, and even though the soap is hard it does not have to be bloomed. The lasting power was great and it had above average slickness. I was not thrilled that it came without a bowl (word to the wise for those unfamiliar with Fine). I will have to try some other scent profiles; I'm sure Fine is a stellar product. I just chose poorly the first time around.
3.) Edwin Jagger Lime Pomegranate: B-
I really wanted to like this one, especially because I use an EJ razor and it's one of the finest instruments I've ever utilized for anything...period. This soap has a wonderful aroma, almost mouthwatering in its exactness of replicating what it claims. But beyond the scent, I found the lather to be thin and to evaporate quickly. Before a single pass was finished I was having to reapply to my throat. Also, the slickness wasn't there. I wound up with nicks from a Gillette SharpEdge, which never happens. Luckily, they are phenomenal at making razors, so please know that I do eagerly endorse the brand. I'm just not sold on this soap.
4.) Stirling Barbershop: A
I love the smell of this soap. I've come across a number of barbershop scents (every artisan soap maker has some variation thereof), but this one just really, really knocks my socks off. It has an aroma that immediately conjures up memories of the beauty salon my grandmother used to frequent when I was a child in the 80s. I've heard that Stirling is hard to lather to the right consistency, and I find that this is true. That's the only reason this one is not an A+, and I get that it's user error, but some of the other soaps reviewed here are so easy to lather that I consider it a demerit. However, once you invest the effort to get a proper lather, it is very slick and has great lasting power. Plus, the scent is pungent and sticks to your for ~3 hours. That's a big plus for me, as I really like lingering aromas.
5.) Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars: A
I'm a big fan of this soap. I was looking for a soap that has a tobacco profile, and while I don't get a ton of tobacco from this one, the aroma is so incredibly amazing that it doesn't even matter. To me, it smells more of a high end leather that has absorbed smoke. Imagine the calfskin that upholsters a sitting chair in an upscale smoking lounge; that's the smell. Also, this soap lathers effortlessly (I mean, you seriously touch a wetted brush to it and it begins to froth out of the bowl), and the lather it produces is dense, slick, and has tremendous staying power. The only reason this isn't an A+ is that the scent -- again, a fantastic aroma -- is not very strong, and does not seem to last at all after the shave. My wife could not even smell it 5 minutes after I was done. Still, it's a fantastic foray into aromatherapy while you're actually shaving with it.
6.) Taylor of Old Bond Street Grapefruit: A+
First of all, this is a cream not a soap. But still, holy smokes!!! I heard it time and time again, "You really need to try TOBS." I don't know why I ignored this recurring mantra for so long, but allow me to say MIND BLOWN! Let's start with the scent. If you close your eyes you are instantly standing in the middle of a grapefruit grove. The scent is a dead ringer: sweet yet tart, citrusy goodness. And boy is it strong!! It was so powerful that it filled the entire downstairs floor of our home with the aroma of grapefruit and clung to my skin for more than 6 hours!!! It only fully disappeared after I washed my face for bedtime, so I'm guessing it will hang around much longer than that. As for the lather, a massive amount is generated by the smallest dab on the brush. After application, it is crazy thick, by far the slickest of any soap/cream I've used, and it doesn't evaporate at all. I did not even have to touch my brush to the cream to lather up for my second pass, there was still so much lather from the first dab. I wound up with a nick-free shave from a newly loaded Kai, and I walked around town smelling like a sea breeze cocktail for the rest of the day. Score!!
1.) Vie-Long 14830: A+
I know there is a lot of skepticism about horsehair brushes, but I have to say that this Vie-Long ($36) is every bit as good as my Omega badger ($115). I actually like the horsehair because it is much more firm and does a better job of prepping my dense facial hair. The Omega feels luxurious, but it is so fine and soft that it doesn't engage the stubble as much; it just lathers over the hair. The Vie-Long seems to really stimulate my face and raise the whiskers so that there is less tugging once I apply the blade. I highly recommend this brush to anyone of Irish stock or who otherwise has very dense, thick facial hair.
2.) Fine Green Vetiver: B+
After all the hype about Fine Accoutrements, I finally decided to give one of their soaps a try. I'm not the biggest fan of this scent. The top notes are nice, but there's a dense smell that composes the base that I don't necessarily like. It almost smells like wet tree bark. To be fair, I really don't know what vetiver is, so perhaps the fault is mine for buying a scent that I didn't fully research. The lather is really good, however, and even though the soap is hard it does not have to be bloomed. The lasting power was great and it had above average slickness. I was not thrilled that it came without a bowl (word to the wise for those unfamiliar with Fine). I will have to try some other scent profiles; I'm sure Fine is a stellar product. I just chose poorly the first time around.
3.) Edwin Jagger Lime Pomegranate: B-
I really wanted to like this one, especially because I use an EJ razor and it's one of the finest instruments I've ever utilized for anything...period. This soap has a wonderful aroma, almost mouthwatering in its exactness of replicating what it claims. But beyond the scent, I found the lather to be thin and to evaporate quickly. Before a single pass was finished I was having to reapply to my throat. Also, the slickness wasn't there. I wound up with nicks from a Gillette SharpEdge, which never happens. Luckily, they are phenomenal at making razors, so please know that I do eagerly endorse the brand. I'm just not sold on this soap.
4.) Stirling Barbershop: A
I love the smell of this soap. I've come across a number of barbershop scents (every artisan soap maker has some variation thereof), but this one just really, really knocks my socks off. It has an aroma that immediately conjures up memories of the beauty salon my grandmother used to frequent when I was a child in the 80s. I've heard that Stirling is hard to lather to the right consistency, and I find that this is true. That's the only reason this one is not an A+, and I get that it's user error, but some of the other soaps reviewed here are so easy to lather that I consider it a demerit. However, once you invest the effort to get a proper lather, it is very slick and has great lasting power. Plus, the scent is pungent and sticks to your for ~3 hours. That's a big plus for me, as I really like lingering aromas.
5.) Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars: A
I'm a big fan of this soap. I was looking for a soap that has a tobacco profile, and while I don't get a ton of tobacco from this one, the aroma is so incredibly amazing that it doesn't even matter. To me, it smells more of a high end leather that has absorbed smoke. Imagine the calfskin that upholsters a sitting chair in an upscale smoking lounge; that's the smell. Also, this soap lathers effortlessly (I mean, you seriously touch a wetted brush to it and it begins to froth out of the bowl), and the lather it produces is dense, slick, and has tremendous staying power. The only reason this isn't an A+ is that the scent -- again, a fantastic aroma -- is not very strong, and does not seem to last at all after the shave. My wife could not even smell it 5 minutes after I was done. Still, it's a fantastic foray into aromatherapy while you're actually shaving with it.
6.) Taylor of Old Bond Street Grapefruit: A+
First of all, this is a cream not a soap. But still, holy smokes!!! I heard it time and time again, "You really need to try TOBS." I don't know why I ignored this recurring mantra for so long, but allow me to say MIND BLOWN! Let's start with the scent. If you close your eyes you are instantly standing in the middle of a grapefruit grove. The scent is a dead ringer: sweet yet tart, citrusy goodness. And boy is it strong!! It was so powerful that it filled the entire downstairs floor of our home with the aroma of grapefruit and clung to my skin for more than 6 hours!!! It only fully disappeared after I washed my face for bedtime, so I'm guessing it will hang around much longer than that. As for the lather, a massive amount is generated by the smallest dab on the brush. After application, it is crazy thick, by far the slickest of any soap/cream I've used, and it doesn't evaporate at all. I did not even have to touch my brush to the cream to lather up for my second pass, there was still so much lather from the first dab. I wound up with a nick-free shave from a newly loaded Kai, and I walked around town smelling like a sea breeze cocktail for the rest of the day. Score!!
