Atkinsons Soap

Discussion in 'Skincare' started by Darkbulb, Oct 17, 2014.

  1. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    In addition to shaving products I enjoy finding and trying out other personal grooming products like shampoo bars, bath soap, pomade, etc - especiallly if I feel that I'm getting a good deal.

    I was recently able to buy two bars of Atkinsons Country Mush bath soap bars for the very reasonable price of $5 including shipping (they normally sell for about $5 per soap excl. shipping so that's about 50% off).
    Atkinsons is on the high-end of perfume related products. Barney's carries their EdT/EdC and I believe most of them sell for north of $200/bottle.
    Hey, at least they know who they are as their very own tag line is "Celebrating 200 years of perfume snobbery" :)

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    Atkinsons have a very long history dating back to 1799 and is also famous for their iColoniali line on the Italian market.

    Even though they have a couple of centuries of British history behind them they seem to be manufactured in Italy now;
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    First impressions - scent
    Even without opening the paper wrapper it is easy to detect the scent. It's rather strong and reminds me of pine and wood. It's a very fresh/crisp and, as mentioned, a rather strong scent.

    Opening up the soap it has a nice logo imprinted on one side and the name Atkinsons on the other.
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    Oops...flipped the image :)

    The scent is, not surprisingly, a bit stronger without the wrapper (I really love stating the obvious).

    Performance
    Wow, this thing generates some beautiful lather. I used it in the shower this morning and what initially felt as a very concentrated scent to the point of being overpowering somehow transformed in the shower to become a very pleasant experience - surrounding me with that noticeable fresh 'wood/pine' scent in a very refreshing way.
    My skin felt well moisturized and the scent lingered for a bit which I really rather enjoyed.

    Quick overall review score: 3.9/5 "Would buy again"


    Additional
    For the history buffs, here's an entertaining write-up from their homepage about the early days of the company:
    "
    In the early Spring of 1799, James Atkinson, an enterprising young gentleman from the wilds of Cumberland, set forth by carriage for the glorious city of London. In his suit pocket were recipes for fine scents and toiletries of his own devising. Next to him sat a sizeable quantity of rose-scented bear grease balm. Next to the balm sat a growly bear. The growly bear was thoroughly devoted to James.
    Within mere days the utterly fantastic balm became indispensable to London's most uppity crust, who braved the bear at the door of 44 Gerrard Street ("that marvellous perfume shop with the most terrifying bear") to procure sufficient stock for the Social Season.

    In 1800, James Atkinson hit upon his most startling creation to date, a fearlessly English Eau de Cologne
    totally different from the Italianate colognes then in vogue. Curiously fresh yet warm and spicy, the new Eau de Cologne was stronger and more prepossessing than its continental cousins, with a lingering trail that conjured forth the confident attributes of the British Empire. It and all things Atkinsons became such a sensation with the royal ranks that when King George IV caught a whiff of it at Buckingham in 1826, he proclaimed Atkinsons the Official Perfumer to the royal Court of England on the spot.
    From then on the sweet smell of Atkinsons' success wafted throughout the realm, emanating most deliciously, in 1832, from its utterly fantastic new headquarters at 24 Old Bond Street.

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    Atkinsons' greatest devotee in Regency England was that fabulous arbiter of all things elegant, Beau Brummel, First Dandy of the Realm. Lesser luminaries - Napoleon, the duke of Wellington, Admiral Nelson, lady Hamilton, Prince Tomasi di lampedusa, Queen Margherita di Savoia, and the Tsarina of Russia- also clamoured after Atkinsons' customised bouquets. Soon, all of society was hot for the house's instantly recognisable, off- the-peg creations. To meet demand, new shops were opened abroad - in Paris, the Americas and Australia. The Atkinsons inventory was positively bursting with new fragrances. White rose. English lavender. Royal Briar. The British Bouquet. The Odd Fellow's Bouquet.... Then as now, and quite unlike anything anyone has sniffed before or since, each is unconventionally powerful, and unexpectedly vigorous and enduring. They are, we dare say, the very essence of English Fragrance.

    After a most delightful hibernation, Atkinsons and its growly bear have awoken from their slumber totally refreshed and revived. Drawing on 200 years of English eccentricity, style and impeccable manners, not to mention an incomparable heritage and imperishable commitment to making the highest echelons of society as fragrant and delectable as humanly possible, we are now ready to usher in a new century of perfume snobbery. How? By means of our newest collections, our boldest and most irresistible to date. "True style," as Beau Brummel once said, "never goes out of fashion. You simply cannot keep a good bear down."
     

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