CorAnd graciously PIFed me a puck of Irish Twins shaving soap, and I decided to do a review since it doesn't get a lot of discussion.
Irish Twins is a glycerin-based shaving soap, also containing kaolin clay. It uses essential oils as fragrance - in this case, the soap is lime, bergamot, and patchouli scented. You can definitely pick up on the lime as soon as you open the container - it has a nice scent. I later picked up the bergamot note during the shave, not so much the patchouli. The predominant scent is lime.
FYI, my prior experience with glycerin soaps have been restricted to QED Lime and VdH.
Looks like a standard puck of glycerin soap. The tub is pretty nice, easy to open and even though it is a little larger than the puck, the soap stays steady for lathering.
I decided to use my Rooney 3/1 which was a bit on the dry side. A little swirling on the puck and we were in business.
A wetter brush probably would have been better. I face lather, and this is what was left after one pass.
Ease of lather: 9. This soap isn't difficult to lather at all. (10 is reserved for MdC which I find the easiest soap to lather.)
Longevity of lather: 9. Since I didn't shower before I shaved tonight, I left the lather on while I did some prep work, and it was very stable.
General skincare: 9. I usually shower before my shave because otherwise my shave is rough. Not so tonight. My skin feels great after the shave.
Scent: 9. I like lime, and the bergamot added a nice touch. If you've tried the QED Lime soap, you have an idea about this company not going cheap on the essential oils.
Slickness: 8. Pretty darn slick I thought. My razor tonight was a Senator w/a brand new Shark, and I got a fantastic shave with two passes, no nicks at all.
Price: A tub goes for $8. I think this is pretty good for 5 ounces of soap. I didn't pay for it, but I think this is a fair deal for an artisan soap.
I think if you enjoy glycerin soaps and a lime-bergamot scent appeals to you, you may want to consider trying this. It's not expensive and does a good job.
Irish Twins is a glycerin-based shaving soap, also containing kaolin clay. It uses essential oils as fragrance - in this case, the soap is lime, bergamot, and patchouli scented. You can definitely pick up on the lime as soon as you open the container - it has a nice scent. I later picked up the bergamot note during the shave, not so much the patchouli. The predominant scent is lime.
FYI, my prior experience with glycerin soaps have been restricted to QED Lime and VdH.
Looks like a standard puck of glycerin soap. The tub is pretty nice, easy to open and even though it is a little larger than the puck, the soap stays steady for lathering.
I decided to use my Rooney 3/1 which was a bit on the dry side. A little swirling on the puck and we were in business.
A wetter brush probably would have been better. I face lather, and this is what was left after one pass.
Ease of lather: 9. This soap isn't difficult to lather at all. (10 is reserved for MdC which I find the easiest soap to lather.)
Longevity of lather: 9. Since I didn't shower before I shaved tonight, I left the lather on while I did some prep work, and it was very stable.
General skincare: 9. I usually shower before my shave because otherwise my shave is rough. Not so tonight. My skin feels great after the shave.
Scent: 9. I like lime, and the bergamot added a nice touch. If you've tried the QED Lime soap, you have an idea about this company not going cheap on the essential oils.
Slickness: 8. Pretty darn slick I thought. My razor tonight was a Senator w/a brand new Shark, and I got a fantastic shave with two passes, no nicks at all.
Price: A tub goes for $8. I think this is pretty good for 5 ounces of soap. I didn't pay for it, but I think this is a fair deal for an artisan soap.
I think if you enjoy glycerin soaps and a lime-bergamot scent appeals to you, you may want to consider trying this. It's not expensive and does a good job.
