Provence Sante Verlaine shaving soap

If you say it is sage, I will agree that you think it is sage.

It doesn't smell like sage to me. Maybe honey soaked oranges?

 

Think 'sage, with hint of rosemary'…As with other French soaps, it has a typical 'mixed herbal' nose to it. Subtle, though.

 

Yes - it's the rosemary that I wasn't recognizing.

I like the scent.

 

I actually thought it had no cushion but lots of slickness. Add some more water and you will see more slickness.

 

I will try that.

 

I am more with Fram on the scent. Smells more like detergent than rosemary, at least to me.

 

This is further proof of why evaluating and rating scents/aromas/fragrances of various products is such a subjective minefield.

 

Exactly sir.

 

So what is the secret to this soap? I've ordered some and it seems just as bad as the PdP- though it is easier to lather. The only nice things going for it IMO is the scent (verlaine) and the moisturization(rivaling or perhaps even exceeding MWF). If I do a thick lather it is very cushiony but the blade skips and it has zero slickness. Adding more water does make it slicker but then the problem becomes that the lather doesn't soften the beard and loses its cushion.

 

I'm not sure why you can't seem to get a good lather. It always works well for me. I start with a wrung out brush and "load the tar outa that brush", adding water as I go. On the french soaps I use significantly more brush loading than I do on other soap. Provence Sante has come closer to the "perfect soap" than any ofther soap/croap/cream that I have tried.

 

I'll try loading for a full minute next time instead of 30 sec like I usually do

 

I have also found Provence Sante to be one of the best soaps I've tried. Originally I thought I would prefer the Verlaine but ended up liking the Green Tea much more.

Regarding lathering, I seem to load a lot less than other people. I face lather and I normally load for 10 - 15 seconds, very often I'll load for just 5 seconds with a slightly wet brush then briefly lather, applying just a loose, wet lather (kind of a pre-lather) before loading for another 5 seconds or so and working up the full lather. It seems to develop a creamier texture this way.

 

I used Provence Sante this morning. I will agree that Provence Sante's lather does not feel very slick. I will also agree that the lather does not feel like there is much of a cushion. I will further agree that it does not appear to soften the beard as well as some soaps. But that is only how it feels to me, not how it works for me. I think it works better than I expect it to work. I do believe that there is enough slickness, cushioning, and beard softening to do it's job very, very well.

 

Success. Loaded with it a full minute. I will continue to try different lathering methods to experiment but for now it seems the Provence Sante just doesn't want to play nice with my standard SEs but with the injector it performed flawlessly. I shaved half my face with the injector and it was good. The other half of my face I shaved with the ER and it was terrible. Finished up with the J for the last pass by itself. I will try it later with the ER 1924 as it delivers when other SEs let me down. The Provence Sante did not seem to be slick and cushiony but somehow it did very well.

 

So, how does your face feel?

 

very moisturized and soft but it feels like there is something there- like talc.

 

It always feels like baby powder to me. I like the feeling, but know some will not.