Review - LA Shaving Soap Bespoke #1
- Thread starter Mr. Scruffy
- Start date
oye vey! If y'all are comparing this to Mdc it really makes me want to try it! I looked at their page and in their FAQ I found
"
Is this soapmaking company some sort of Fight Club / Project Mayhem thing?
Come on now; you know the first and second rules."
and any company that refrains to make references about fight club is A-1 in my book
Thanks for such an amazing review, and thanks SOO much for making me really want to try another soap
Your fragrance sounds like it would smell great!
"
Is this soapmaking company some sort of Fight Club / Project Mayhem thing?
Come on now; you know the first and second rules."
and any company that refrains to make references about fight club is A-1 in my book
Thanks for such an amazing review, and thanks SOO much for making me really want to try another soap Your fragrance sounds like it would smell great!
Congrats on the new soap. It was a great review and an exciting read! I was one of the lucky guys to sample John's soaps when he first started. His soap making thread was one of the most intriguing I've seen. I have his soaps and use them regularly. I'm a vetiver addict so this latest soap has my attention.
That's what got me into trying the soap out as well. That thread had me more excited than I've been in a long time about trying new product. Really helped me learn the process of making it as well. Highly recommended if folks reading this haven't read it yet.
I just ordered and received the Topanga Fougure and the the Vanilla Euc Mint and John was kind enough to include some samples of the other scents which included the Bespoke soap. I haven't tried the Bespoke yet. Upon smelling the soap I think campfire, kinda woody scent but the more I smell it the more things I pick up. I wasn't sure I liked it at first but it's starting to grow on me and I might have to give it a try tomorrow.
The jar opening size is definitely a problem for some, but I move all of my soaps to the Ikea Grudtal containers immediately so how a soap is packaged doesn't really impact me.
As far as lathering and performance goes, John's soaps are excellent. I have MdC as well and I'm not sure I'd say they are the same. I've only used the LASS soaps a few times but they are still quite a bit different from MdC to me. They do have the very fast lathering characteristic that MdC has but they are much softer soaps. I wonder what would happen if I left the lid off of it for a few months if it would harden up more like my MdC soap. I believe MdC is aged for four months in wood boxes, maybe this pulls the moisture and makes the difference, or maybe John didn't hit the exact ingredient ratios before creating an excellent soap. Either way, I'll be spending more time with the LASS soaps as I certainly do enjoy them.
The jar opening size is definitely a problem for some, but I move all of my soaps to the Ikea Grudtal containers immediately so how a soap is packaged doesn't really impact me.
As far as lathering and performance goes, John's soaps are excellent. I have MdC as well and I'm not sure I'd say they are the same. I've only used the LASS soaps a few times but they are still quite a bit different from MdC to me. They do have the very fast lathering characteristic that MdC has but they are much softer soaps. I wonder what would happen if I left the lid off of it for a few months if it would harden up more like my MdC soap. I believe MdC is aged for four months in wood boxes, maybe this pulls the moisture and makes the difference, or maybe John didn't hit the exact ingredient ratios before creating an excellent soap. Either way, I'll be spending more time with the LASS soaps as I certainly do enjoy them.
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Great write-up Harry. Really enjoyed reading it, and the lather looks fantastic 
- Thread starter
- #48
Now that this is available to the public I'm really looking forward to the reviews! 
Now that this is available to the public I'm really looking forward to the reviews!
Me too!
I bought a sample pack of LASS a while ago and just gave them a cursory shot until the past two days. I've been putting an almond size amount in a 1-cup glass bowl to load and lathering on the face. Wow! This is great stuff....so I ordered Bespoke. Between this and the IB releases, SWMBO will most likely kill me for the holidays
Received my two samples in the mail this afternoon. Thanks again for choosing me as a beneficiary. It is not everyday you are approached by a co-creator of a fragrance to do so. At least not in this house. It is my feeling that in order to provide a fair assessment of a fragrance and/or soap it should be used several times. Thusly, my review will be spread out over a few days. I will lather and shave tomorrow morning with this soap for the first time but thought I would provide a little 'sniff' review to start things off. Initial impressions from the rudimentary sniff test are 'a smokey and peppery' fragrance with hidden traces of vanilla, anise, and clove, which I feel will emerge with use to balance the earthiness. Strongly akin to tuberous roots. Seeing I am partial to 'earthy' fragrances I have a feeling this is right in my wheelhouse. Now for the J. Peterman-esque initial description of the fragrance. 'A freshly harvested radish'.
See you tomorrow for more.
See you tomorrow for more.
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Received my samples today as well. Thanks again. Looking forward to the next several shaves. I have used a latherless product which smelled similar…one of the Lush brushless creams. Prince, possibly? It has vetiver in the ingredient list. I recall that smokey scent when I put my nose to MdC Fougere in Paris this summer, too.
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My samples came today too, I'll transfer them to a tub and lather up in the morning. After initial sniff tests I detect a little smoke, some green, and no hint of clove.
Thanks again Harry for letting me try your Bespoke soap!
Thanks again Harry for letting me try your Bespoke soap!
First shave this morning.
This soap is a great performer. Quick to lather. Thick and cushiony with just the right amount of glide. Vetiver is the predominate note. A verdant and earthy note which is much more subtle than the earthiness of sandalwood. This is a complex fragrance which makes it a bit hard to pin down. Vetiver is the strong linear component, rounded out by a smokiness, and warm pepper. The other essential ingredients don't necessarily shine, but they are working in the background, quietly together, to make this complex fragrance something special.
See you tomorrow for more.
This soap is a great performer. Quick to lather. Thick and cushiony with just the right amount of glide. Vetiver is the predominate note. A verdant and earthy note which is much more subtle than the earthiness of sandalwood. This is a complex fragrance which makes it a bit hard to pin down. Vetiver is the strong linear component, rounded out by a smokiness, and warm pepper. The other essential ingredients don't necessarily shine, but they are working in the background, quietly together, to make this complex fragrance something special.
See you tomorrow for more.
I just received my order of 2 tubs of LA Shaving Soaps and it came with free samples of the rest of his line-up. One of the samples is Bespoke #1, which wasn't released yet at the time I ordered - awesome! I'm bad at describing scents, but out of the tub it smells pleasantly warm. It reminds me a lot of incense that they burn in churches during mass.
Unfortunately I couldn't devote the usual time to developing my first Bespoke lather, so I know I haven't realized its full potential. However, it's clear this is an all natural soap with a great scent. Great smokey, earthy scent that I enjoyed all day. I did detect a bit of green, anise, and clove. I used a very small amount of soap and got a light lather that caused my razor to skip a bit, but this is certainly not a fair representation given the small amount of product used. The lather rinsed quickly from my face and brush. I had no skin irritation from ingredients. I imagine I'll get much better glide and cushion tomorrow....
I received some samples from Harry today, and was blown away by the scent....utterly fantastic. I, too, get the strong vetiver note, with a strong hit of the frankincense, but it's so much more than that in a completely unique way. When I got home, I brought the samples to the medicine cabinet and took a sniff of the Pen's English Fern I'm 3017ing. They are very similar in the complexity of their scents. What's nice about Bespoke 1 is that it doesn't smell like a hodgepodge. It just works.
i worked through samples of the other 4 scents in October, so I know performance will be great, and I'm looking forward to seeing what a lathering does to the scent.
Thank you, Harry!
i worked through samples of the other 4 scents in October, so I know performance will be great, and I'm looking forward to seeing what a lathering does to the scent.
Thank you, Harry!
C'mon USPS! I wanna join in the fun!
- Thread starter
- #60
Glad to hear that you gents are liking the scent so far.
Hang in there Chris it's on the way!!
Hang in there Chris it's on the way!!
