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Santa Maria del Fiore

I'm gonna catch hell for this, but for those who are concerned about the label integrity, I have a solution. I'm a shower shaver, so I knew the minute I received this, it wouldn't fare well without special care. I simply applied a latex glove, and voila! I present the SMdF prophylactic!

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The lid can be removed and replaced without difficulty:

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You can snip off the extra latex:

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And if you want a little extra protection, use some waterproof tape:

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Some will laugh and say this is ridiculous, but those of us who like to do SOTD pics, it's a nice way to keep your SMdF jar looking good!

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My SMdF was delivered to mailbox on a 32 degree Celsius day. Sat there for hours till I picked it up. It was very soft when I opened the lid. 24Hrs sitting in a cool basement fixed it no issues. First shave with it tonight!!

This is a very nice shaving soap. Slick, scent & post shave feel are all here. Glad to have this in my den, hope it becomes permanent edition.
 
I'm gonna catch hell for this, but for those who are concerned about the label integrity, I have a solution. I'm a shower shaver, so I knew the minute I received this, it wouldn't fare well without special care. I simply applied a latex glove, and voila! I present the SMdF prophylatic!

proxy.php

The lid can be removed and replaced without difficulty:

proxy.php

You can snip off the extra latex:

proxy.php

And if you want a little extra protection, use some waterproof tape:

proxy.php

Some will laugh and say this is ridiculous, but those of us who like to do SOTD pics, it's a nice way to keep your SMdF jar looking good!

proxy.php
Genius!
 
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Hi CyberJCM
I have XX and SMdF, and I don't get much similarity between the two. But I don't get much of anything from the SMdF, apart from a faint sweet smell. I don't like the smell all that much, and really do not get the eucalyptus description. But I admit, the performance is very good, and if I get enough water in the mix, it is quite slick. I am not willing to put it at the same level as MdC or Boellis, but it sure is a nice one.



I haven't come back to mine yet since the first 2 shaves. Again, nothing wrong with it just not in love with the scent. It's funny i seem to be the only one lol.

Does anyone have XX and can do a sniff comparison just to make me feel better? ;) I swear that's what I get with added eucalyptus scent

On the firmness topic, I left mine open for an entire day. Only a thin layer on the surface dried out a bit. It was still soft n sticky underneath. It's fine like that, we're just not used to it. I do a brush tip dip and twist kinda move and it loads up well.
 
Hi CyberJCM
I have XX and SMdF, and I don't get much similarity between the two. But I don't get much of anything from the SMdF, apart from a faint sweet smell. I don't like the smell all that much, and really do not get the eucalyptus description. But I admit, the performance is very good, and if I get enough water in the mix, it is quite slick. I am not willing to put it at the same level as MdC or Boellis, but it sure is a nice one.


Thanks for sniff comparing shega! It's weird that's what it triggers in my memory, maybe there a subtle note in both I'm picking up on. But I know what you mean about the scent, and probably part of my problem. All the notes are subtle and occasionally one will stand out over the others, only to hide and another note shows itself and is quickly lost. Only constant for me is the eucalyptus though it's certainly not into Vicks or cough drop strong for me.
 
Got mine today. The jar and packaging is very nice, similar to MdC. I did a test lather, and I very much enjoy the scent and lather. Looking forward to shaving tomorrow!
 
This is the first time in a while that I am wishing my Haslinger to be done. One or two more shaves before I start a jar.
 
Shaved for the first time with SMDF this morning. As others have noted, it is a nice summer soap. Creamy, with a good lather. The scent is complex, but there is certainly menthol and/or Eucalyptus there. Certainly seems like an Italian classic!

I personally find that soaps like B&M provide better glide and cushion, but there is something really nice about this product, which, at the price point, make it a great addition to anyone's shave den.
 
Shaved for the first time with SMDF this morning. As others have noted, it is a nice summer soap. Creamy, with a good lather. The scent is complex, but there is certainly menthol and/or Eucalyptus there. Certainly seems like an Italian classic!

I personally find that soaps like B&M provide better glide and cushion, but there is something really nice about this product, which, at the price point, make it a great addition to anyone's shave den.
I noticed with subsequent shaves, while the eucalyptus/menthol/camphor were still felt, they were no longer the prevailing scent. I've had other soaps behave similarly. I'm assuming this is what is referred to as "blooming".
 
Where can I get this soap? Italian Barber does not have it in stock.
They are apparently small batches, so they sell out quickly, but he keeps restocking it. I have had success on purchasing it on 2 separate occasions by signing up to be notified when it's available. It's a pretty reliable system. Just go to the product page, here, and sign-up to be notified. I would imagine they'll be back in limited stock in the next week or two.
 
After more shaves with SMdF, I have decided that it is mostly, to my nose, a baby powder scent. Eucalyptus, or anything like it is too faint for me to notice while shaving. It is a nice cream, but I cannot put it above my other main soaps, certainly not MdC or AoSt, or DRH. The menthol component is almost undetectable to me. This has relaxed my interest in genuine Santa Maria Novella products, which although surely excellent, are probably not going to knock me over. XPEC surely didn't (although I love the scent). Saponifico Varsenio didn't either. Neither has Boellis. All very nice, but bring nothing additional to the experience.

But SMdF is not expensive, takes less than a gram for a 3-pass, and has a very nice (although not unusual in any way among good soaps) post shave feel. I have two jars, and will probably trade/sell the other one at some point, maybe the remaining portion of this one too.

I have (almost) concluded that beyond a certain level, improvements in soap are incremental. I know not everyone loves MdC, but I haven't found anything superior to it, despite looking (read: spending money). Lots of soaps are really good, or even as good as MdC, but the combo of perfect fragrance, perfect economy (at half a gram per shave, MdC is my most affordable soap per shave), and benchmark performance are releasing me from my quest.

Thanks for sniff comparing shega! It's weird that's what it triggers in my memory, maybe there a subtle note in both I'm picking up on. But I know what you mean about the scent, and probably part of my problem. All the notes are subtle and occasionally one will stand out over the others, only to hide and another note shows itself and is quickly lost. Only constant for me is the eucalyptus though it's certainly not into Vicks or cough drop strong for me.
 
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