Which B&M soap/aftershave should I get? Cologne Russe or Reserve Fern?

[CPTdeLos]

So, I have only tried samples of B&M, but its been a while. I know they are different bases, I'm not necessarily tied to a "high" or "low" structure soap. I'm just curious which you'd go with and why. Barrister and Mann's site tends to describe the Reserve as their pride and joy but their other soaps have great reps.

 

[Fawkes007]

I like the Cologne Russe soap, but the splash is not a favorite.

 

[peltz]

I like the Cheshire. Earl Grey scent profile.

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[hydro-magic]

Haven't tried Reserve Fern but I 3017'd a tub of Cologne Russe not too long ago. It smelled mostly like violets to me. Not bad if you like flowery scents, but I was a bit tired of it by the end. I probably won't buy it again. Either base performs really well. It's worth trying both IMO.

 

[polanalyst]

Cologne Russe is a great performer. But I too found the scent a little too strong for me and I use it very sparingly now.


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[Tomo]

Samples are the way to go. It’s the only way to know for sure what works with your water, skin and nose. Shavedash offers the full line up of B&M samples.

I’m not a fan of the Cologne Russe personally. To me it has a hippie shop incense stick vibe to it but YMMV. Performance is ok but I find most of the big names perform very well.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

I recommend the Fern, and strongly. It is a classic fougere with outstanding performance. CR was nice, but it was relegated to shower soap duty.

 

[leatherdog99]

Reserve Cool is my favorite after ordering all Reserve samples from Maggards. I got the actual tub, AS, and cologne for Christmas. It’s just a classic clean smell which I love.

 

[CPTdeLos]

I'm likely going to get the samples. Sounds like people for the CR very strong.

 

[HomerJay]

The Reserve base has awesome performance. I have Spice, Classic and Cool but just traded the cool because I was not a fan of the scent. The Reserve is super slick and provides a great shave.

 

[VisceralWatch]

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Excelsior base, Reserve is a bit easier to lather. Excel takes a lot of water and it is a bit more finicky than Reserve.

 

[Thalasos]

Reserve Fern has a wonderful scent. I've used a sample among others and is the only one I opened them and again just for sniffing.
It has nothing to do with Houbigans EdC which I love, but is far better fern than most I knew in the past.

 

[guitarslinger]

I didn’t know cr was available in excelsior yet.

they’re both great though. I like every bm base. Scent is the biggest differentiator. Fern is a true fougere.
Just buy em both.

 

[benos]

Fern is an AMAZING scent. Like, truly outstanding. Of the Reserve line, I have that one, Classic, Spice, and Cool, and they're all really good, but Fern edges out Classic for my favorite. I have many of the original white tubs as well, and I really like Cologne Russe too. It is a strong scent though and might not be for everyone, so that's something to bear in mind.

 

[SHAVEWIZARD420]

SAMPLES!!!

best way to figure out for yourself which scent you prefer. Not a huge fan of either scent, the Fern is strangely synthetic to my nose and Cologne Russe is very floral and prefer it in a soap.

 

[CPTdeLos]

So, I got samples. The CR is very strongly scented, lots of rose. The Fern is a little sharper and less floral. I think I'm going to go with the reserve, it lathers a little differently and requires tons of water. Now I need more samples of the other reserve scents...