I am currently in possession of Box 2! Thanks @Montgomery115
Soap Sample Passaround Box
- Thread starter dfoulk
- Start date
Added myself in. I'll work on getting my post count up. Should be good by the time it gets around to me!
1. A. Feitar - Skipping box 5.
2. ryinzana - In possession Box 3 & 4.
3. jldallas - Skipping the rest of the boxes
4. spolct - in possession of Box 1.
5. Montgomery115 - Box 2 in transit to catchacoolbreeze. Should be there 9/21.
6. catchacoolbreeze
7. CJB3
8. boghopper
9. FloorPizza
10. mrlandpirate
11. kooldecker
12. dezmil
13. Joshua223
14. Schinny
15. Psusocr
16. SailFast
17. Blaidth
18. Velohammer
19. ’Bout Time
20. ShavedUp
21.jaxstar
22.marhos24
23.
24. Iloverootbeer
25. Suhrim21
26. back to dfoulk for refill.
1. A. Feitar - Skipping box 5.
2. ryinzana - In possession Box 3 & 4.
3. jldallas - Skipping the rest of the boxes
4. spolct - in possession of Box 1.
5. Montgomery115 - Box 2 in transit to catchacoolbreeze. Should be there 9/21.
6. catchacoolbreeze
7. CJB3
8. boghopper
9. FloorPizza
10. mrlandpirate
11. kooldecker
12. dezmil
13. Joshua223
14. Schinny
15. Psusocr
16. SailFast
17. Blaidth
18. Velohammer
19. ’Bout Time
20. ShavedUp
21.jaxstar
22.marhos24
23.
24. Iloverootbeer
25. Suhrim21
26. back to dfoulk for refill.
What’s going on here? Seems very quiet.
anyone there
There seem to be some fun soaps in box #2. The first thing I did was smell them all because what’s the point of using a soap you don’t enjoy in every way because there are just so many options out there.
In general I thought B&M, Mystic Water, and Siliski had the best scents or least offensive scents as a whole. In fact, Mystic Water’s Sweet Briar was empty by the time I got it so it must have been a hit. Some standouts were Bay Rum, Cedar and Sage (not the normal bitter cedar variety!), Vanilla Sandalwood, and Barbershop. I don’t normally like Bay Rum (i.e. the classic scent in Stirling’s) and this didn’t smell anything like that. The Cedar and Sage was also nice and didn’t have that strong bittery smell I usually get from cedar scented soaps. Barbershop was overall my fav. With regards to Siliski, Santa’s Pipe (smells like cinnamon to me) and Midnight in Tunisia were great. I don’t think cinnamon is a component in it but when you put all the scents together, I smell exactly what I think cinnamon is. Strop Shoppe’s Russian tea was almost exactly the same cinnamon smell also. Midnight in Tunisia caught me off guard because at the very initial moments it is floraly which I don’t like but then there is an undertone of musk or something dark that makes it an absolute standout.
I am not sure if I am explaining the bitter cedary smell correctly but a number of scents had it and turned me off and include: Siliski Appalachian Forest, Midnight and Two The Cabin, Mike’s Pine and Cedarwood, Siliski Rosemary and Cedarwood, and Captain’s Choice Sandalwood.
Sudsy Soapery’s Twice Mint smells exactly like green Trident gum (which I believe is wintergreen) to me. Their Lavender and Peppermint was decent but was mostly peppermint. It didn’t compare at all to the most delicious Nancy Boy Signature Scent that I love. Too bad, the performance of the cream is not as good to me as some of the best soaps out there. The Almond and Vanilla was very close to the standard almond scents you get like Razorock Classic and Trumpers Almond - which I really like. Speaking of Almond, Shannon’s Soaps Amaretto was the sweetest almond/cherry that I ever smelled and it was a standout. Unfortunately, the scent changed to something completely different when I used it to shave. I am not sure what happened there.
The Holy Black Shaving Cream was also nice and smelled very close to the B&M Spice to me. B&M Classic also smells close to B&M Spice to me! Aramis also smelled like B&M Spice as well!
I also really enjoyed the smell of Tabac which I smelled for the first time. I never got any because of how polarizing people say the smell is. I didn’t find it offensive at all and found it to be a sweet tobacco smell. Delicious.
Great Lakes Bay Rum was an enigma to me - It reminded me of something so vivid that used to smell exactly like it but unfortunately can’t remember. I didn’t exactly enjoy the smell but am so curious to figure out what it reminds me off.
That’s it for scents. I’ll touch on performance in a later post.
In general I thought B&M, Mystic Water, and Siliski had the best scents or least offensive scents as a whole. In fact, Mystic Water’s Sweet Briar was empty by the time I got it so it must have been a hit. Some standouts were Bay Rum, Cedar and Sage (not the normal bitter cedar variety!), Vanilla Sandalwood, and Barbershop. I don’t normally like Bay Rum (i.e. the classic scent in Stirling’s) and this didn’t smell anything like that. The Cedar and Sage was also nice and didn’t have that strong bittery smell I usually get from cedar scented soaps. Barbershop was overall my fav. With regards to Siliski, Santa’s Pipe (smells like cinnamon to me) and Midnight in Tunisia were great. I don’t think cinnamon is a component in it but when you put all the scents together, I smell exactly what I think cinnamon is. Strop Shoppe’s Russian tea was almost exactly the same cinnamon smell also. Midnight in Tunisia caught me off guard because at the very initial moments it is floraly which I don’t like but then there is an undertone of musk or something dark that makes it an absolute standout.
I am not sure if I am explaining the bitter cedary smell correctly but a number of scents had it and turned me off and include: Siliski Appalachian Forest, Midnight and Two The Cabin, Mike’s Pine and Cedarwood, Siliski Rosemary and Cedarwood, and Captain’s Choice Sandalwood.
Sudsy Soapery’s Twice Mint smells exactly like green Trident gum (which I believe is wintergreen) to me. Their Lavender and Peppermint was decent but was mostly peppermint. It didn’t compare at all to the most delicious Nancy Boy Signature Scent that I love. Too bad, the performance of the cream is not as good to me as some of the best soaps out there. The Almond and Vanilla was very close to the standard almond scents you get like Razorock Classic and Trumpers Almond - which I really like. Speaking of Almond, Shannon’s Soaps Amaretto was the sweetest almond/cherry that I ever smelled and it was a standout. Unfortunately, the scent changed to something completely different when I used it to shave. I am not sure what happened there.
The Holy Black Shaving Cream was also nice and smelled very close to the B&M Spice to me. B&M Classic also smells close to B&M Spice to me! Aramis also smelled like B&M Spice as well!
I also really enjoyed the smell of Tabac which I smelled for the first time. I never got any because of how polarizing people say the smell is. I didn’t find it offensive at all and found it to be a sweet tobacco smell. Delicious.
Great Lakes Bay Rum was an enigma to me - It reminded me of something so vivid that used to smell exactly like it but unfortunately can’t remember. I didn’t exactly enjoy the smell but am so curious to figure out what it reminds me off.
That’s it for scents. I’ll touch on performance in a later post.
Looks like another Tabac convert
I have box #1 and need to test lather a few more but should be sending the box on by the end of the week. I started grad school 2 weeks ago and have been super busy and haven't even shaved much. I've used 4 or 5 soaps out of the box so far and will post a real update soon.
Hey guys! Quick update... Box 3 has been sent on. I’ve tried 3 samples from box 4 so far. I’m on mobile, but will post my thoughts shortly.
Ok so, after about a week of testing the new Fortis sample from Grooming Department (fantastic BTW), I switched back to samples from box 4. Box 4 has some fantastic soaps.
Talbot Shaving "Gates of the Arctic"
First off, let's start with the scent description: "notes of cool arctic air, woods, rushing water, tall grass, and riverside flora create this refreshing aroma."
I'd say this was dead on. I tend to shy away from pine scents because so many remind me of an air freshener. This one is done right. Very reminiscent of walking through the woods on a dewy morning. Woodsy with a hint of grass and ozone. Strength was fairly strong, but does not linger post rinse.
The shave was fantastic. Talbot's has a great reputation within the wetshaving community, and its well deserved. Initial and residual slickness are top notch (4.5/5). Post shave feel is very good (4/5). Here's the ingredient list:
Stearic acid, tallow, water, Shea Butter, potassium hydroxide, castor oil, fragrance, glycerin, sodium hydroxide, lanolin, palm kernel oil, marshmallow root, babbasu oil, meadowfoam oil, tussah silk.
Tussah silk is likely in there for some added slip, which is noticeable. Great ingredients list! Many nourishing/moisturizing ingredients in this one. Could definitely skip a post shave product.
Talbot Shaving "Gates of the Arctic"
First off, let's start with the scent description: "notes of cool arctic air, woods, rushing water, tall grass, and riverside flora create this refreshing aroma."
I'd say this was dead on. I tend to shy away from pine scents because so many remind me of an air freshener. This one is done right. Very reminiscent of walking through the woods on a dewy morning. Woodsy with a hint of grass and ozone. Strength was fairly strong, but does not linger post rinse.
The shave was fantastic. Talbot's has a great reputation within the wetshaving community, and its well deserved. Initial and residual slickness are top notch (4.5/5). Post shave feel is very good (4/5). Here's the ingredient list:
Stearic acid, tallow, water, Shea Butter, potassium hydroxide, castor oil, fragrance, glycerin, sodium hydroxide, lanolin, palm kernel oil, marshmallow root, babbasu oil, meadowfoam oil, tussah silk.
Tussah silk is likely in there for some added slip, which is noticeable. Great ingredients list! Many nourishing/moisturizing ingredients in this one. Could definitely skip a post shave product.
I have 1 or 2 more shaves with Box 2 and will mail it out no later than Monday. My current thoughts are:
Tabac - scent is sweet tabacco and it smelled delicous to me. I am not not sure if I just didn’t dial it in properly or what but the lather was either too watery or not watery enough and dried up on my skin in some places. I remember reading that tabac is a easy to lather so I am sure it was me. Either way, the lather was too thin for my liking. Shave was just ok. Got 2 weepers.
Sudsy Soapery Almond & Vanilla & Siliski Soaps Midnight in Tunisia - as far as performance, I found these two soaps similar. Lather wasn’t the creamiest and more on the thinner side compared to others but it was perfectly slick enough and resulted in 2 good shaves. Sudsy’s Almond & Vanilla smell very close to the classic almond smell (almond extract) but every once and awhile I get some nuttiness in it. Siliski’s Midnight in Tunisia’s scent was phenomenal but I honestly don’t know how to describe it. It almost reminds me of L’Occitane AS Cade. I just ran out of their aftershave balm and I can’t compare. As I smell it more, it really does remind of Cade (which I also love) with maybe a very very very small hint more of floral. I should also note that the Siliski was the softest soaps of the bunch and got entirely picked up by my brush during first set of 15 to 20 seconds of swirls.
Shannon’s Soaps Amaretto - The scent is the sweetest almond/amaretto/marzipan I think I have ever smelled (I love the almond scents) and I loved this one as well. Unfortunately it changed a lot during lather to something completely different which was a little of a bummer. The lather was very thick in consistency and reminded me of SV4.3. I really like it as it was also pretty slick as well. Another good shave!
Midnight & Two Provence - This was the standout soap in terms of performance for me so far. From the second it touched my face, all I could think of was how slick this soap was. It felt so soft and slick. Lather was creamy. I rinsed my face between passes and then rubbed my hand on my face, residual slickness was like glass. It was a really cool feeling. I felt I could shave without any actual soap and the entire experience resulted in a great shave. I will be honest that I didn’t like any of the 4 scents but heard good things about the soap so I settled on the Provence. It is not that the Provence is bad but I feel like there are better lavender scents out there. I should note it is not a pure lavender scent which may account for why I wasn’t super excited by it. I just love lavender and the scent just wasn’t my favorite lavender but not terrible. My current top lavender scents (scent only) are B&M Reserve Lavender and Dapper Draggon’s Lavender Lizard.
Tabac - scent is sweet tabacco and it smelled delicous to me. I am not not sure if I just didn’t dial it in properly or what but the lather was either too watery or not watery enough and dried up on my skin in some places. I remember reading that tabac is a easy to lather so I am sure it was me. Either way, the lather was too thin for my liking. Shave was just ok. Got 2 weepers.
Sudsy Soapery Almond & Vanilla & Siliski Soaps Midnight in Tunisia - as far as performance, I found these two soaps similar. Lather wasn’t the creamiest and more on the thinner side compared to others but it was perfectly slick enough and resulted in 2 good shaves. Sudsy’s Almond & Vanilla smell very close to the classic almond smell (almond extract) but every once and awhile I get some nuttiness in it. Siliski’s Midnight in Tunisia’s scent was phenomenal but I honestly don’t know how to describe it. It almost reminds me of L’Occitane AS Cade. I just ran out of their aftershave balm and I can’t compare. As I smell it more, it really does remind of Cade (which I also love) with maybe a very very very small hint more of floral. I should also note that the Siliski was the softest soaps of the bunch and got entirely picked up by my brush during first set of 15 to 20 seconds of swirls.
Shannon’s Soaps Amaretto - The scent is the sweetest almond/amaretto/marzipan I think I have ever smelled (I love the almond scents) and I loved this one as well. Unfortunately it changed a lot during lather to something completely different which was a little of a bummer. The lather was very thick in consistency and reminded me of SV4.3. I really like it as it was also pretty slick as well. Another good shave!
Midnight & Two Provence - This was the standout soap in terms of performance for me so far. From the second it touched my face, all I could think of was how slick this soap was. It felt so soft and slick. Lather was creamy. I rinsed my face between passes and then rubbed my hand on my face, residual slickness was like glass. It was a really cool feeling. I felt I could shave without any actual soap and the entire experience resulted in a great shave. I will be honest that I didn’t like any of the 4 scents but heard good things about the soap so I settled on the Provence. It is not that the Provence is bad but I feel like there are better lavender scents out there. I should note it is not a pure lavender scent which may account for why I wasn’t super excited by it. I just love lavender and the scent just wasn’t my favorite lavender but not terrible. My current top lavender scents (scent only) are B&M Reserve Lavender and Dapper Draggon’s Lavender Lizard.
Guys, it's possible that I'm wrong, so pardon me if I am, but it seems like the boxes are sitting around too long. dfoulk can correct me, but I think if anyone can't sample the soaps for whatever reason, she or he should send the box to the next person on the list. There are a lot of people on the list, and well, it's not really fair to the group. I smelled the samples in the box that I received a couple weeks ago, shaved with a couple samples, then put several samples in little baggies so I could get the box in the mail to the next person, which allowed me to shave with the samples at my leisure. I think this process should be 10 days max per person per box, maybe.
You’re not supposed to have any soap left when the box gets sent on. Dfoulk specifically said that several times.
You can’t take samples and save them.
I agree about the boxes being kind of in limbo with no updates. There’s 4 boxes out there I believe and there should be more regular updates.
You can’t take samples and save them.
I agree about the boxes being kind of in limbo with no updates. There’s 4 boxes out there I believe and there should be more regular updates.
Just fyi - I didn't take any samples, so to speak. I took the same amount of soap, a very small scratch of soap really, from the 6 or 7 soap samples that interested me. This is the same amount of soap I would taken if I kept the box until I was done. Hope that helps explain what I did.
If you read the rules, you’re not supposed to do that.
Long Rifle Soap Co. "Hunting Lodge"
To start here's a scent description from the manufacturer:
"Tobacco, leather and bay rum combine to make the best manly scent around."
I'd say the scent strength on the puck and lathered is a medium. I didn't detect much spice from the bay rum. To me, it smelled leathery with a hint of tobacco. It was a very pleasant scent!
I found the soap to load/lather easily. Dialed in, it has a nice sheen to it and a consistency of whipped cream. Initial and residual slickness was very good (4/5). I found the post-shave to be good (3.5/5). The formula has many ingredients with skin soothing/moisturizing properties such as Aloe Vera, Shea Butter, and Babassu Oil. Here's the full ingredient list:
Water, locally-sourced organic tallow, coconut oil, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, aloe vera, unrefined shea butter, fragrance, babassu oil
Tallow & Steel "Boreal"
Here's the scent description from the manufacturer:
Boreal captures the crunch of the branch underfoot, the sweet musk of the crisp autumn air: a blast of earthy freshness. This is a blend that puts you in the heart of an ancient forest, no matter where you are.
Cedarwood (25%) | Cedar Leaf (20%) | Balsam Fir (13%) | White Spruce (13%) | Black Spruce (13%) | Monarda (9%) | Birch (7%)
As I mentioned in my Talbot review, I tend to shy away from woodsy scents as they can at times border on a "Pine-Sol" or industrial cleaner type scent. I decided to give this one a shot and I'm glad I did. The scent is very reminiscent of walking through the woods. Very earthy and clean. Well done!
The resulting shave was very nice. Soap loaded easily and I had no trouble dialing it in. Resulting lather had a sheen and yogurt consistency. I found the initial and residual slickness to be very good, borderline elite (4.5/5). I think this is largely due to the inclusion of silk and bentonite clay in the ingredient list. One note on the clay, I've used other formulas in the past that include clay, and many have presented challenges getting dialed into a good lather. I had no such issues here!
Post shave was good (3.5/4), but could be better. Still I had an irritation free shave, but my skin wasn't left feeling as moisturized as other soaps I've tried. Here is the ingredient list:
Stearic Acid, Water, Organic Argan Oil, Organic Glycerin, Essential Oils, Organic Castor Oil, Organic Safflower Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Tallow (Pasture-Raised), Organic Coconut Oil, Bentonite Clay, Sodium Hydroxide, Vitamin E, Silk
To start here's a scent description from the manufacturer:
"Tobacco, leather and bay rum combine to make the best manly scent around."
I'd say the scent strength on the puck and lathered is a medium. I didn't detect much spice from the bay rum. To me, it smelled leathery with a hint of tobacco. It was a very pleasant scent!
I found the soap to load/lather easily. Dialed in, it has a nice sheen to it and a consistency of whipped cream. Initial and residual slickness was very good (4/5). I found the post-shave to be good (3.5/5). The formula has many ingredients with skin soothing/moisturizing properties such as Aloe Vera, Shea Butter, and Babassu Oil. Here's the full ingredient list:
Water, locally-sourced organic tallow, coconut oil, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, aloe vera, unrefined shea butter, fragrance, babassu oil
Tallow & Steel "Boreal"
Here's the scent description from the manufacturer:
Boreal captures the crunch of the branch underfoot, the sweet musk of the crisp autumn air: a blast of earthy freshness. This is a blend that puts you in the heart of an ancient forest, no matter where you are.
Cedarwood (25%) | Cedar Leaf (20%) | Balsam Fir (13%) | White Spruce (13%) | Black Spruce (13%) | Monarda (9%) | Birch (7%)
As I mentioned in my Talbot review, I tend to shy away from woodsy scents as they can at times border on a "Pine-Sol" or industrial cleaner type scent. I decided to give this one a shot and I'm glad I did. The scent is very reminiscent of walking through the woods. Very earthy and clean. Well done!
The resulting shave was very nice. Soap loaded easily and I had no trouble dialing it in. Resulting lather had a sheen and yogurt consistency. I found the initial and residual slickness to be very good, borderline elite (4.5/5). I think this is largely due to the inclusion of silk and bentonite clay in the ingredient list. One note on the clay, I've used other formulas in the past that include clay, and many have presented challenges getting dialed into a good lather. I had no such issues here!
Post shave was good (3.5/4), but could be better. Still I had an irritation free shave, but my skin wasn't left feeling as moisturized as other soaps I've tried. Here is the ingredient list:
Stearic Acid, Water, Organic Argan Oil, Organic Glycerin, Essential Oils, Organic Castor Oil, Organic Safflower Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Tallow (Pasture-Raised), Organic Coconut Oil, Bentonite Clay, Sodium Hydroxide, Vitamin E, Silk
- Thread starter
- #4,417
Yeah, sorry guys as taking soap from the boxes to use later on is not permitted unless it's approved by me ahead of time. This rule is in place to keep this from becoming a soap grab. I get that there are good intentions in doing this to keep the boxes moving but please don't.
Some of the boxes aren't moving as quickly due to the backup that we experienced by the delay of one of the boxes early on. I've allowed users some extra time with the boxes and those waiting will receive the same consideration.
I've been getting some notifications from users that they are about to send or have sent a box. Please repost the updated list when you send or receive a box as well. This way everyone else will know that this is moving smoothly.
Some of the boxes aren't moving as quickly due to the backup that we experienced by the delay of one of the boxes early on. I've allowed users some extra time with the boxes and those waiting will receive the same consideration.
I've been getting some notifications from users that they are about to send or have sent a box. Please repost the updated list when you send or receive a box as well. This way everyone else will know that this is moving smoothly.
- Thread starter
- #4,418
Yeah, you're good in just adding your name. Just be sure to be in good standing and have your post count where it needs to be when your turn comes up is all. Thank you and welcome aboard.
I sent box 3 on last week. Should have been delivered by now. Didn’t see that reflected in the most recent list. I have 2 more samples to try from box 4 then that will be sent on it’s way...
My bad, and my apology.
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