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Tabula Rasa Steampunk - First Thoughts

Gents, I ordered a jar of this shave cream the moment Phil posted in the vendors forum it was available. This cream is part of a series made special for the Shave Nook community and Phil at Bullgoose and Lee at Lees Safety Razors are the two vendors/distributors as I understand it. Anyroad, I am a big fan of the Steampunk genre and Victorian era aesthetics. So when this was announced it was a foregone conclusion I was going to try it even though I rarely use shave creams. Okay, to it.

I am not familiar with Tabula Rasa beyond this product but it seems to garner good reviews. First lets look at packaging. The container is a plastic jar that looks like it is double walled. Nothing fancy here. I do like it that under the lid there is a stout plastic inner lid sort of affair that has an ingredient and manufacturers label on it. This fits into the jar a bit so I think it will help to stave off dehydration of the cream.

Consistency is about like Cyril S. Salter creams. Lighter and not as dense as say, Taylor of Old Bond Street. Certainly nothing like Castle Forbes lavender. I have learned not to judge a shave cream by its bowl consistency. If there is one product that defies generalisation concerning texture and consistency it is soft shave creams.

Scent. Hmm, this was interesting. I made a rookie mistake by mentally making up my mind what a scent like this should evoke. The description of the scent is listed as both nostalgic and hypermodern. I didn't really pay attention to the latter part of the description because in my mind's eye this cream was going to be Hammam Bouquet or Mouchoir de Monsieur. It is nothing like either one of them. And my initial take in the jar was ho hum. Honestly, I know better than to do such things so I went back to the jar and sniffed it few more times through the evening. It reveals itself as much more complex than you first imagine. Indeed Atlas Cedarwood is present and jumps out at you but in a very good way. I am always leery of scents which promote cedar front and center. The cedar usually dominates all other notes and mutes them to a distant pulse in the background. Thankfully Steampunk does not go that direction. The other scent note listed is a violet component but my nose is so bad I cannot sniff it out. Remember, many times these scent components taken together yield much different results than the single note of any part. I can smell 'floral' in a mild way and I think it complements and mutes some of the cedar. What is left in there is incomprehensible to me looking at the description on Shave Nook. I get a bit of a fruit vibe(very mild) but it doesn't smell like food. Savvy? See what I mean about complexity? There is also just a hint of the modern oceanic type scent and this is where I nearly jump from the boat...most times. This is how semi-aquatic scent notes should be used. Rather than the sugar water in a shampoo bottle type scent of most department stores this is VERY mild and does not dominate things like mos of those scents do. It may remind you of something similar to Cool Water but it only reminds and does not load your nostrils with it. I would certainly not describe this as a traditional scent but consider it is in the vein of imagination. Just like Jules Verne and his futuristic novels. Steampunk is an adventurer in the scent world though a well behaved one. I haven't made up my mind if I will truly like it or not going forward but do not take my longing for a Hammam Bouquet/Victorian era fragrance in a shave lather detract from it.

Okay, the shave. This was surprisingly good. I gave up on soft creams years ago because they just didn't give the glide the great soaps do. Lathers were plenty thick but the cushion is usually so great that I wind up pushing a bit too hard on the razor or making multiple passes. This lather worked a treat. And aftershave feel was excellent. The scent lingered for awhile afterward even with a good rinse.


Criticism. The jar. Tabula Rasa is a bit over $30 per jar. I would have loved to see it in glass at this price point or at least a more decorative plastic jar. Before I go further let me say I cannot imagine how much work Phil and Lee put into a special run like this. Probably more than any of us care to think about. So NO vendor complaints here. With materials and shipping costs, upscale packaging may have pushed prices points too high to make it practical. I do know another premium cream, Castle Forbes, used to come in beautiful heavy glass jars. When CF moved to plastic jars the prices remained the same. Sorry but that's bad form. The glass jars sort of made it. Anyway, a personal opinion but there it is. I am a sucker for upscale packaging lately.

So there you have it. A first run with a new scent in a respected cream. Don't take this as a regular review. It is not fair to use something one time and review it. I was simply fascinated with the Steampunk connection and wanted to give it a go. I will post some updates from time to time. This is most certainly worth checking into.

Cheers, Todd
 
Thanks for your observations, Todd. I too am a fan of things steampunk, and this sounded intriguing. I don't know that I'm going to bite on it, but it sounds worth considering.
 
Gents, I have now shaved five times with Steampunk shave cream. I think I have figured it out as it pertains to my shaving needs. First lets go back to the scent. This is the only reason I bought the cream. I love the aesthetics of the Steampunk culture and when this came out I had to try it just because. The scent is described as traditional and ultra modern and to my nose leans much more toward the latter. It is not really my thing. Don't get me wrong. This is not Axe body wash scent we are dealing with here but I get no traditional vibe from it at all.

Consistency of the cream is very light. I used quite a lot of it each time I shaved with it. Much more than the typical almond sized snurdle you see recommended as a rule of thumb. It is very light in consistency. Lighter even than Cyril R. Salter as I mentioned above. It does not make the ultra thick pudding lather of the typical British creams made by Creighton's but that is okay. It shaves better than they do. At least for me. The number one issue for me with the Creighton creams is cushion. They are so thick they seem to hold the razor just a bit off the skin and I wind up pushing a bit too hard to get shaved clean or make too many passes. Nit picky I must admit but it is my experience. The Tabula Rasa shaves closer than that because it does not build up the cushion the Brit creams do. This is a good thing but it still falls short of better shave soaps. Aftershave feel is quite good though and I really did not feel the need for aftershave products.

Final thoughts. In a nutshell this Tabula Rasa product does not justify its price. Lets put this in perspective before we go further. All these better quality shave products are decently priced given the number of shaves you get per jar of cream. So I am not saying it is a ripoff by any means. I just don't think it justifies its premium price. Packaging is very spartan for this type of product. Even giving these manufacturers and artisans the most leeway I can I always draw a demarcation line at the thirty to thirty-five dollar mark as to what should constitute super premium product vs price. And Tabula Rasa sits right in the middle of that range. And my experience with it does not leave me thinking it is a super premium product in either price, performance or scent. Better than decent for the latter two but a few dollars more garners me Castle Forbes or a Czech & Speake shave soap. Either of which handily bests it in performance. This will not be purchased again. Thanks to Bullgoose and Lees for seeing this product line into the States though. Hard work is always appreciated. It is simply not meant to be for me.

Cheers, Todd
 
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Thanks for your thoughtful impressions.

Many people consider Tabula Rasa to be a top, if not the top, shave cream, on par with XPEC, and I have to agree. It's performance is second to none, producing a terrific thick, slick lather with excellent skin care qualities. It contains mango butter and argan oil, and is excellent for those with sensitive skin. I have several scents, and until Steampunk, Dark Lavender and Cardamom were my favorite. Steampunk is a marvelous blend of cedarwood and violet, and is quickly becoming a very popular scent. Tabula Rasa comes in a very large jar, and since a little goes a long way, the price is on par with other excellent artisan creams (e.g. Al's). I am actually a soap guy, but Steampunk and other Tabula Rasa creams will always be part of my rotation.
 
I used this last night and absolutely loved it. The scent is fantastic, post shave is great, and I had no issues face lathering this.

I bought two tubs.
 
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