Thanks for your excellent review. Fragrances are so subjective, and I can't say I share your opinion regarding Stay Traditional and Maremoto. I really like both scents. But I agree that OAM's performance is topnotch. And the hefty glass jar is awesome. I wish other soap makers would consider giving up plastic.
Officina Artigiana Milano - Review
- Thread starter Golden_Edge
- Start date
Same with Stay Traditional For me. I love it, but to each their own.
The world would be a boring place if we all liked the same thing. Imagine everyone loving Arko!
In my opinion, most soap makers include far too much fragrance. I prefer a hint of fragrance to mask the soap smell. I don't want to put a potpourri bag under my nose.
I have Stay Traditional and Oli de Bennesare.
I like both croaps, but the matching Stay Traditional aftershave is *very* synthetic in character. And also quite strong.
I've paired the Stay Traditional croap with a grapefruit dominant aftershave from Ethos. Much better...
I like both croaps, but the matching Stay Traditional aftershave is *very* synthetic in character. And also quite strong.
I've paired the Stay Traditional croap with a grapefruit dominant aftershave from Ethos. Much better...
- Thread starter
- #25
I also found the Stay Traditional scent a bit synthetic so I am not surprised to read this about the matching aftershave.
@Multum in parvo echoed your observation - OAM aftershaves appear to be strong. I read they have 15% fragrance as opposed to the usual 4%. I won't mind as long as both the Oli del Benessere (found it) and Narjan (can't find in the US) aftershaves smell like the matching soaps.
I feel like I need to revise my previous statement. In the beginning, the scent reminded me of some laundry detergent, but after using it for some time exclusively, I have to say I really like it now. The scent is really strong, which I also like and every time I enter my office it makes me smile (yes, it’s that strong).
Most important is the lather is really good, I can do up to 10 passes with a straight razor (I know, it’s ridiculously and totally unnecessary) and I have no after shave sting when I am done.
OldSaw
The wife's investment
Thanks for this review. Good work.
Now I have to ask myself, why am I just hearing about this now? It is nearly time to replace my beloved Santa Maria Novella and perhaps I will try one of these OAM offerings.
Now I have to ask myself, why am I just hearing about this now? It is nearly time to replace my beloved Santa Maria Novella and perhaps I will try one of these OAM offerings.
- Thread starter
- #28
Thank you, I appreciate it.
The soap maker/distributor doesn't seem invested in marketing OAM and their other products so it would explain why it's not well known. That said, I think you'll be pleased with OAM. It yields a lather that is as slick as SMN.
Building on this excellent post:
I was recently contacted and a very generous offer was extended to me. “Would I like a sample of the OAM Oli del Benessere and Najran” to compliment my recent purchase of OAM Stay Traditional? First off, the offer was so kind and generous, I was humbled. The gentlemen on this forum are truly above average. After a few messages back and forth, an additional sample of RR Santa Maria Del Fiore was included in an already generous gift.
A few days went by and our great postal service showed up with the samples. I was intrigued by the packaging. I had not give much thought to how one would send samples of a soft shaving soap. Opening the package, I found three small plastic bags with folded up wax paper packages inside each bag. Very interesting! I like this method of sending samples. Very thoughtful. The temperature had been running in the high 90’s that day and the samples were very soft. So, I left them to harden up.
As said above, I have the OAM Stay Traditional and really enjoy the scent and performance. It’s one of the best soaps in my cabinet. I was excited to try the new samples, and decided to maintain the excitement for 3 weeks. The next day I left for the camping trip with my lovely SO. No internet access, no shaving, and lots of reading/hiking, and camp fire dinners were in store for us.
After coming back a few days ago, I opened up each of the packages and gave them a sniff… MmmmM. The samples were the size of a 50 cent piece and 1/4” thick. Whew! That’s enough for 5-6, or even 8 shaves from each sample. Again, I am humbled by the generosity.
My first impressions:
I started with OAM Oli Del Bernessere (ODB). With almost a month’s growth, I went my favorite smelling sample to start.
The OAM Oli Del Bernessere has a strong, cologne smell. Hard for me to describe better than @Golden_Edge has done here. I agreed with the statements of “spectacular (based on smell and lathering/shaving). Mysterious. Refined/elegant. "Dark" (in a good way). Multi-layered and ultra complex.” I really enjoy this one. The smell was very strong.
I lathered the soap with a damp brush and in a bowl. About a small almond size portion in the bowl. Adding small amounts of water as I whipped. The soap lathers very easy with my hard water, lots of lather. I could have used a peanut size portion and been fine. The lather was very slick and moisturizing. Post shave feel is fantastic. It’s hard to overstate just how much I enjoy OAM’s performance and post-shave feel on my face. No post-shave moisturizer required here. Full disclosure, I shaved two more times with ODB before moving on. I still have plenty left. Rating A+ with a note, the cologne smell is strong, which I like. Others may not.
Today, I tried the RR SMF. The difference in the OAM and RR soaps was immediately apparent. OAM is a very smooth paste. Well mixed, and creamy. RR SMF was gritty, almost rough by comparison. The smell, for me, was very light. Performance was excellent, but just a notch below OAM’s. I enjoyed the performance, but would not go out of my way to include it in my cabinet. Slick and moisturizing to be sure, just a notch below OAM. Now, the grittiness could be due to the heating and cooling cycle experienced during shipping. Others might weigh in here and share if they have the same grittiness in their RR SMF soap. Rating A- (grittiness did not affect the performance). Very good soap, but just a tad below OAM’s performance.
To the gentlemen who shared such generosity with me, Thank you very, very much. You have my deepest gratitude and wishes that Fortune smiles on you and yours.
Najran is up next!
And a little picture of campfire dinner for those who are into such things!
I was recently contacted and a very generous offer was extended to me. “Would I like a sample of the OAM Oli del Benessere and Najran” to compliment my recent purchase of OAM Stay Traditional? First off, the offer was so kind and generous, I was humbled. The gentlemen on this forum are truly above average. After a few messages back and forth, an additional sample of RR Santa Maria Del Fiore was included in an already generous gift.
A few days went by and our great postal service showed up with the samples. I was intrigued by the packaging. I had not give much thought to how one would send samples of a soft shaving soap. Opening the package, I found three small plastic bags with folded up wax paper packages inside each bag. Very interesting! I like this method of sending samples. Very thoughtful. The temperature had been running in the high 90’s that day and the samples were very soft. So, I left them to harden up.
As said above, I have the OAM Stay Traditional and really enjoy the scent and performance. It’s one of the best soaps in my cabinet. I was excited to try the new samples, and decided to maintain the excitement for 3 weeks. The next day I left for the camping trip with my lovely SO. No internet access, no shaving, and lots of reading/hiking, and camp fire dinners were in store for us.
After coming back a few days ago, I opened up each of the packages and gave them a sniff… MmmmM. The samples were the size of a 50 cent piece and 1/4” thick. Whew! That’s enough for 5-6, or even 8 shaves from each sample. Again, I am humbled by the generosity.
My first impressions:
I started with OAM Oli Del Bernessere (ODB). With almost a month’s growth, I went my favorite smelling sample to start.
The OAM Oli Del Bernessere has a strong, cologne smell. Hard for me to describe better than @Golden_Edge has done here. I agreed with the statements of “spectacular (based on smell and lathering/shaving). Mysterious. Refined/elegant. "Dark" (in a good way). Multi-layered and ultra complex.” I really enjoy this one. The smell was very strong.
I lathered the soap with a damp brush and in a bowl. About a small almond size portion in the bowl. Adding small amounts of water as I whipped. The soap lathers very easy with my hard water, lots of lather. I could have used a peanut size portion and been fine. The lather was very slick and moisturizing. Post shave feel is fantastic. It’s hard to overstate just how much I enjoy OAM’s performance and post-shave feel on my face. No post-shave moisturizer required here. Full disclosure, I shaved two more times with ODB before moving on. I still have plenty left. Rating A+ with a note, the cologne smell is strong, which I like. Others may not.
Today, I tried the RR SMF. The difference in the OAM and RR soaps was immediately apparent. OAM is a very smooth paste. Well mixed, and creamy. RR SMF was gritty, almost rough by comparison. The smell, for me, was very light. Performance was excellent, but just a notch below OAM’s. I enjoyed the performance, but would not go out of my way to include it in my cabinet. Slick and moisturizing to be sure, just a notch below OAM. Now, the grittiness could be due to the heating and cooling cycle experienced during shipping. Others might weigh in here and share if they have the same grittiness in their RR SMF soap. Rating A- (grittiness did not affect the performance). Very good soap, but just a tad below OAM’s performance.
To the gentlemen who shared such generosity with me, Thank you very, very much. You have my deepest gratitude and wishes that Fortune smiles on you and yours.
Najran is up next!
And a little picture of campfire dinner for those who are into such things!
Thanks for this. Oli del Benessere sounds great. Those steaks look pretty good, too. Looking forward to your opinion of Najran.
The only thing I like about the dropping temperatures is that I can use Oli del Benessere again: great soap and absolutely my top fragrance. The aftershave is a bomb, my wife can smell it from the other floor and persistence is unbelievable, EdP level.
I have also Maremoto and Stay Traditional. Maremoto is such a unique fragrance that I needed a bit to get into it, but now I love it as well. Maremoto is the only one with its EdP: a real atomic bomb, you can still smell it the day after or after a shower!
I have also Maremoto and Stay Traditional. Maremoto is such a unique fragrance that I needed a bit to get into it, but now I love it as well. Maremoto is the only one with its EdP: a real atomic bomb, you can still smell it the day after or after a shower!
Can you describe the Maremoto a bit? Strength wise I have a clue as I’m using the OdB AS as EDT as well.
I'll do my best although it's not an easy task: it's quite a unique scent, inspired/dupe of Megamare by Orto Parisi.
I would position it as spicy aquatic, which extends its usage well beyond the hot season. Emotionally, it does indeed bring you to the seaside (mare = sea in Italian) but not the sunny sea. I would say more of the sea after a storm, still foggy, with salt but also the seaweed on the shore. It's indeed very difficult to describe.
A word of warning: it's really a love/hate scent with very polarized opinions. I was very puzzled in the beginning but I didn't give up and now I really like its uniqueness.
I would suggest you also look for reviews for Megamare, which I don't own, but should be pretty similar.
I hope this helps
It does, although it will be good while until I see the bottom of these big glass jars and buy another one.I'll do my best although it's not an easy task: it's quite a unique scent, inspired/dupe of Megamare by Orto Parisi.
I would position it as spicy aquatic, which extends its usage well beyond the hot season. Emotionally, it does indeed bring you to the seaside (mare = sea in Italian) but not the sunny sea. I would say more of the sea after a storm, still foggy, with salt but also the seaweed on the shore. It's indeed very difficult to describe.
A word of warning: it's really a love/hate scent with very polarized opinions. I was very puzzled in the beginning but I didn't give up and now I really like its uniqueness.
I would suggest you also look for reviews for Megamare, which I don't own, but should be pretty similar.
I hope this helps
I think you did a pretty good job describing Maremoto. To me there is a musk note behind the aquatic scent. Like you, I didn't know what to make of it at first, but now that my jar is nearing the end I find that I really like it. I do prefer Stay Traditional, which is one of my very favorite citrus-scented soaps.I'll do my best although it's not an easy task: it's quite a unique scent, inspired/dupe of Megamare by Orto Parisi.
I would position it as spicy aquatic, which extends its usage well beyond the hot season. Emotionally, it does indeed bring you to the seaside (mare = sea in Italian) but not the sunny sea. I would say more of the sea after a storm, still foggy, with salt but also the seaweed on the shore. It's indeed very difficult to describe.
A word of warning: it's really a love/hate scent with very polarized opinions. I was very puzzled in the beginning but I didn't give up and now I really like its uniqueness.
I would suggest you also look for reviews for Megamare, which I don't own, but should be pretty similar.
I hope this helps
Ok, ok, looks nice!
I've ordered a puck of Najran from Pasteurs!
Look forward to trying!
I've ordered a puck of Najran from Pasteurs!
Look forward to trying!
AFAIK Najran is a dupe of Nasomatto Black Afgano. I don’t have the soap but I love the Black Afgano fragrance.
Happy shaves!
On deck this evening is my second OAM review: Najran. I struggled to find the words to describe this scent. @GruncleIroh information really helped! The scent was lighter than ODB, and just as complex. I got hints of incense, oud, and very light greenery. I think it is an interesting and complex scent. Very nice, and my SO complimented the smell. For my nose, Stay Traditional’s citrus bomb is by far my favorite scent. ODB is next in line. Then Najran. ODB and Najran are both slightly better scents than RR SMF.
I wonder how close RR SMF’s scent is to SMN? I have been thinking about a nice Christmas present for the den and have been considering SMN. I think I’ll wait until I can smell SMN in person before taking the plunge. Performance of the OAM soap is superb.
Many thanks to the fine gentleman who extended his generosity and provided the samples!
I wonder how close RR SMF’s scent is to SMN? I have been thinking about a nice Christmas present for the den and have been considering SMN. I think I’ll wait until I can smell SMN in person before taking the plunge. Performance of the OAM soap is superb.
Many thanks to the fine gentleman who extended his generosity and provided the samples!
- Thread starter
- #39
That good to know! Out of curiosity, how do you reckon it's a dupe of that fragrance if you don't have the soap? I ask because I managed to get a bottle of the Najran aftershave all the way from Italy thanks to a friend. Nobody in the US sold it and the day it landed in the US (last week), Pasteur had it for sale the next day, lol. I love the scent and I asked myself if a fragrance with similar notes existed.
What about OdB; do you find it to be a dupe of an existing fragrance? Some of its notes remind me of Acqua di Parma Oud but it's not a dupe per say. I find OdB more complex and superior.
- Thread starter
- #40
I had the chance to try SMN (thanks to a generous member here). Comparing them:
My observation of SMN was (high) menthol -> sweetness -> Tuscan Tobacco. It reminds me of a sweet Vicks Vaporub. The menthol/Camphor is not just high in smell but also sensation on the skin.The tobacco is faint and in the backdrop. I would definitely purchase a tub if you like high menthol. Consistency is thick. Performance is: the type of soap that sets a comparative reference.
SMdF is Tuscan tobacco -> sweetness. I detect light menthol in scent and none in sensation. In terms of scent, RR's version is the winner due to the Tuscan tobacco. If the information I read is accurate, it uses the same Tuscan tobacco oil but in higher concentration. It's in my top 3 (along with OdB and Najran) for all time best scents I've tried so far. Consistency is softer (likely due to higher water content). Performance is top tier.
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