JCinPA
The Lather Maestro
Someone else just did something similar, and I love the Bobby Flay Showdowns on Foodnetwork, so I'm gonna do it!
First, let me warn you all I'm not particularly impressed with 'classic', 'artisan', 'old style methods', 'traditional', et al, unless they actually matter. Which means it has to perform, no brownie points for style. And I am convinced that price has NOTHING to do with the quality of anything in this activity, brushes, razors, blades, soaps, creams, none of it. I often wonder what would happen if we did 'blind testing' with regard to price and just handed people stuff. First thing they'd ask is "how much did it cost?" and I'd always reply, "What does it matter?"
Another thing you should know is I cannot make as fine distinctions (apparently) as so many others here can. So if it's thick, slick, and smells good, I like it. I tend to lump stuff together that excels in all three of those areas, without trying to rank them. So unless there is a definite difference I can easily discern, be prepared for me to call this a tie. Because I think that's a good possibility.
Anyway, I shaved this morning with the new proraso soap (courtesy of Marco, thank you, my friend!) and I really loved it. Although I still like the occasional TOBS Rose cream, Tabac, or QCS Green Irish Tweed, I have become quite the Italian soap slut of late. Cella, RazoRock Artisan, La Famiglia, the new Proraso, I like them all, and I'd be proud seen strutting down the street with the whole gaggle of them!
So today, I got my 1/4 split of SMN from Garry's Sample shop (a real Mensch, Garry is, check him out!) and off for a test lather I went. Now for the noobs, don't feel bad if you don't see this in your bowl every morning. Neither do I. When we do these things we spend about five minutes whipping it up, using way more soap and water than we normally would, bowl lather, palm lather, bowl lather, palm some more, squeeze the brush, whip some more ... in other words this is not real life. But it is pretty!
Note: All photos at bottom, lather, then Proraso then SMN ingredient list.
Now that the obligatory lather pr0n is out of the way, lesse, what's next? Oh, yes, ingredient list. Despite my mental image of nuns pacing about with cauldrons of 'old stuff' singing Gregorian chants, I was quite surprised to find the SMN all 'chemicalled up". And I mean bigtime. This looks nothing like Martin de Candre, or even RazoRock. This looks like DuPont Corp put it out. But, frankly, I've never worried about all that. The global warming folks and the 'safe foods and cosmetics' folks have cried wolf so much, I am immune to their cries. Parabens, schmarabens, I care not a whit.
It was dense, and verrrrry slick. I think the SMN is going to win on slickness, but the Proraso is just as dense and both are easy as pie to lather. I loved the test lather, and I can tell this stuff is world-class soap.
So, tomorrow will be the SMN shave. Then on Wednesday, I will lather both and do a half/half shave with them together. Because I need to do that if I am going to tell any difference at all. Stay tuned! I'll update this OP as I go along.
First, let me warn you all I'm not particularly impressed with 'classic', 'artisan', 'old style methods', 'traditional', et al, unless they actually matter. Which means it has to perform, no brownie points for style. And I am convinced that price has NOTHING to do with the quality of anything in this activity, brushes, razors, blades, soaps, creams, none of it. I often wonder what would happen if we did 'blind testing' with regard to price and just handed people stuff. First thing they'd ask is "how much did it cost?" and I'd always reply, "What does it matter?"
Another thing you should know is I cannot make as fine distinctions (apparently) as so many others here can. So if it's thick, slick, and smells good, I like it. I tend to lump stuff together that excels in all three of those areas, without trying to rank them. So unless there is a definite difference I can easily discern, be prepared for me to call this a tie. Because I think that's a good possibility.
Anyway, I shaved this morning with the new proraso soap (courtesy of Marco, thank you, my friend!) and I really loved it. Although I still like the occasional TOBS Rose cream, Tabac, or QCS Green Irish Tweed, I have become quite the Italian soap slut of late. Cella, RazoRock Artisan, La Famiglia, the new Proraso, I like them all, and I'd be proud seen strutting down the street with the whole gaggle of them!
So today, I got my 1/4 split of SMN from Garry's Sample shop (a real Mensch, Garry is, check him out!) and off for a test lather I went. Now for the noobs, don't feel bad if you don't see this in your bowl every morning. Neither do I. When we do these things we spend about five minutes whipping it up, using way more soap and water than we normally would, bowl lather, palm lather, bowl lather, palm some more, squeeze the brush, whip some more ... in other words this is not real life. But it is pretty!
Note: All photos at bottom, lather, then Proraso then SMN ingredient list.
Now that the obligatory lather pr0n is out of the way, lesse, what's next? Oh, yes, ingredient list. Despite my mental image of nuns pacing about with cauldrons of 'old stuff' singing Gregorian chants, I was quite surprised to find the SMN all 'chemicalled up". And I mean bigtime. This looks nothing like Martin de Candre, or even RazoRock. This looks like DuPont Corp put it out. But, frankly, I've never worried about all that. The global warming folks and the 'safe foods and cosmetics' folks have cried wolf so much, I am immune to their cries. Parabens, schmarabens, I care not a whit.
It was dense, and verrrrry slick. I think the SMN is going to win on slickness, but the Proraso is just as dense and both are easy as pie to lather. I loved the test lather, and I can tell this stuff is world-class soap.
So, tomorrow will be the SMN shave. Then on Wednesday, I will lather both and do a half/half shave with them together. Because I need to do that if I am going to tell any difference at all. Stay tuned! I'll update this OP as I go along.