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Sandalwood week

Well by a very narrow margin, people wanted an analysis of Sandalwood shave products. I'll try to couple it with the injector comparison also.

To prime the pumps, the lead off items will be:

Mon: Salter Indian Sandalwood cream
Tue: Trumper Sandalwood soap
Wed: Green Pond Sandalwood cream
Thu: QEDman B&B soap
Fri: C&E Sandalwood (edit: cream)
Sat: Vulfix Sandalwood cream
Sun: T&H Sandalwood cream

Feel free to link up those days and add your thoughts to this thread as we go along. We already had a good time with Expressions of Lavender Week, but this may be even better. Needless to say, we will bring in sandalwood splashes, EdT's and balms as we go along as well.
 
Sandalwood Week should be a holiday! Are you evaluating the C&E soap or cream? Personally, I am a fan of their soaps and sometimes find myself using them more than the equivalent creams.
 
Scotto said:
Well by a very narrow margin, people wanted an analysis of Sandalwood shave products. I'll try to couple it with the injector comparison also.

To prime the pumps, the lead off items will be:

Mon: Salter Indian Sandalwood cream
Tue: Trumper Sandalwood soap
Wed: Green Pond Sandalwood cream
Thu: QEDman B&B soap
Fri: C&E Sandalwood (edit: cream)

Feel free to link up those days and add your thoughts to this thread as we go along. We already had a good time with Expressions of Lavender Week, but this may be even better. Needless to say, we will bring in sandalwood splashes, EdT's and balms as we go along as well.

Will the QED B&B be an accurate sandalwood analysis? I can let you borrow my QED sandalwood soap if you want.
 
Tinzien said:
Will the QED B&B be an accurate sandalwood analysis? I can let you borrow my QED sandalwood soap if you want.
My intention is not only to consider straight sandalwood scents, but branch out a bit and have fun. I am very familiar with the QED sandalwood soap, but chose not to include it this time around. B&B has a strong sandalwood component along with the pine/spruce.

Oh, and I forgot about the Vulfix cream. I'll add that to the queue.
 
Well, let's begin. Today's shave was a revelation in sandalwood. Salter's Sandalwood cream is a delight. I find it the most strongly scented sandalwood cream out there. I get great shaves from Salter - I love the consistency of the cream, and the lather and shave are excellent. Perhaps a tad below Taylor, but it is a subtle thing. The scent is a sweet and spicy sandalwood, a bit similar to the Vulfix offering. It has almost a piercing cinnamon note that I like a lot. Really wakes you up in the morning.

Em's "balancing" aftershave splash is a witch-hazel based product scented with sandalwood EO and other goodies. Nice product. And don't forget the haunting Floris Sandalwood to finish off. My favorite sandalwood cologne.
 
Ah, another delightful shave. The Trumper Sandalwood soap is a joy - profuse, thick lather lightly scented with a warm, dry, masculine sandalwood. This Tulip 3 is really growing on me as well. And the Trumper Sandalwood cologne? I have to admit I normally find this too overpowering. I recently decanted it from their bottle into my own atomizer, and I must say I am much happier. The spray is much finer, and the coverage just perfect. I keep getting subtle hints of sweet sandalwood as I type this. I was originally not going to replace my bottle when it is empty, but I may change my mind.

Who has the edge after two shaves? It is Salters by a nose. I am entranced by its aroma.
 
AH Scotto! I noted the Taylor of Old BS sandalwood missing from your list. I know is it one of your VERRRY favorites too!:001_rolle Just think, a missed opportunity to excoriate the scent of oatmeal cookies.:laugh:
 
guenron said:
AH Scotto! I noted the Taylor of Old BS sandalwood missing from your list. I know is it one of your VERRRY favoprites too!:001_rolle Just think, a missed opportunity to excoriate the scent of oatmeal cookies.:laugh:
Younguns like me can't pull off such an old scent, Ron. :lol:
 
Thought I would throw in my thoughts on Trumper Sandlewood cream.

I find this stuff pretty great. It is my first and only GFT. The consistency is a little thicker than Taylor (but I am comparing GFT tube to Taylor tub). But thinner than the T&H I have tried. Every way I have tried to lather it, it has lathered like nobody's business. Definitely user friendly. The shave has always been just fine. I might say that it isn't quite as slick for me as Taylor, but not sure about that, yet. This is definitely a luxury product though. The shave quality is great, yes, as expected, but it isn't about the shave quality, really. It is about how great it feels to use. It is so effortless to whip into lather. The lather is so thick and creamy, and feels so good going on. The scent is oozes old leather chairs, musty books, sitting in front a a fire kind of refined, warm comfortable luxury. Especially once the weather starts to cool, and I feel less pulled toward scents like Taylor Avocado, this is likely to get a lot more use.

Comparison to B&B Sandlewood. I find this an interesting scent comparison for a Sandlewood product, because of the purity of the B&B scent. This is quite different. Not nearly so sharp, pure, or exotic. It is, of course, a blend of other scents with a sandlewood component, unlike QED, and that is very clear. It is less intoxicating, perhaps, and more luxurious, warm, slightly spicy, and comfortable (see above).

Oh, for a really amazing cocktail, I dare you to try this after priming the brush with Honeybee Bay Rum.....
 
Ah, another gorgeous shave. Today was Green Pond sandalwood cream, lathered to stiff peaks by a luxurious Muhle-Pinsel brush. Pure heaven.

Green Pond is re-branded Harris cream. Turn the tub over and you'll see the Harris label. The scent is deeply smokey and camphoraceous. I think this is my favorite sandalwood scented cream, with the possible exception of the Salter. The lather is typically Harris - if you like to apply your lather with a trowel, as one illustrious member says, this is for you. Very dense and thick lather. Great shave, too.

And of course don't forget the Harris Sandalwood aftershave, chronicled here.
 
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Time for a bit of a change today. All that straight sandalwood is getting to me. Today it is QED's B&B shave soap. This is a mixture of lots of scents, but the primary ones are pine/spruce and sandalwood. Gorgeous scent that is perfect for the arrival of autumn. The soap whips to a nice lather, and the typical QED shave - there is nothing that shaves as close. Of course, I had to gild the lily with the B&B cologne. This is powerful stuff, gents; one spray is plenty for me on a workday.

And the best shave experience in this week of sandalwood.... Still the Salter cream, with Green Pond a close second.
 
I used the Caswell-Massey Sandalwood today -- found the lather a bit on the thin side but it gave me a satisfactory shave. Better than I expected. Rather enjoyed the scent... strong and sweet IMO.
 
Well, another day of sandalwood has come. Today I relished the delightful scent of C&E sandalwood in body wash, shave cream, ASB, and cologne. Oh, the layers! This is a great scent; refined, complex, and not too dry. A delight.

As for the cream, I have to say my opinion of this stuff has changed over time. The C&E stuff was one of the creams I really got into early in my luxury-shaving career. Over time, though, I have become somewhat disappointed in its performance. It lathers well enough, but I find it lacking in lubricity and moisturizing properties. It is not bad, per se, but I am not excited by it.

The ASB is excellent - quite light, not greasy. The scent stays around a while, so beware. And of course the cologne is great.
 
I agree completely with Scotto's comments on the shaving cream and ASB.

I think the C&E ASBs are very good quality and have great scents - as Scotto notes, the ASB is strongly scented and has reasonable staying power. I can still smell the Nomad ASB I applied almost 4 hours ago. This means you have to either layer scents or carefully coordinate so you don't have too much going on.

Scotto - have you ever tried the Coates sandalwood - its a softer scent than the QED and a little sweeter. Its pretty high up in my list of creams as it combines the great shaving qualities of Coates and sandalwood, which is one of my favourite scents.
 
The ASB lasts longer on me than the cologne. Weird, since it contains less alcohol... Layering it with the soap might have something to do with it. Three great products IMO. How would you compare the soap to the cream?
 
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