Just got my first puck of SV - Felce Aromatica. Smells fantastic. Already shaved today so it'll be at least tomorrow.
Just got the 70th anniversary shower gel and deodorant to complement my bath soap, shave soap, and aftershave lotion. I'll be using the set this coming weekend.
Interesting point, Ryan. I have their Colonia dupe which is most definitely in the fruity/citrusy vibe you referenced. My other 3 - Felce, Cubebe and Desert Vetiver I don’t think necessarily fall in those categories…at least not to my lousy nose. Love all 3, fwiw.
still only have the felce 4.3 soap at present..but i intend to expand in the future.this base is really nice.
I would say to pass on the commemorative metal tins if you want to save a few quid...look great, but not very beefy.
I recently acquired the 70th Anniversary body wash and underarm spray deodorant. So now I have the shave soap, aftershave lotion, bath soap, body wash, and deodorant, for a near-total body experience. When I find a scent I like, I go all in, ha ha! Tabac Tuesdays are all in, too!
If you like Woodsy / Smokey scents then the „Tundra Artica“ is your thing. Smells awesome and the performance is top notch. A fantastic scent in the colder time of the year.
SAPONIFICIO VARESINO: WAXES Waxes are very important in a good shaving soap. They produce a film-forming eudermal effect. And they help the secondary lubrication. As well starches and clays. Carnauba wax does it consistently. https://incibeauty.com/en/ingredients/5351-copernicia-cerifera-cera So the result is better mechanics. And a valuable support to skin conditioning. But it may not be appreciated by some, precisely because of the particular sensation of the foam more "plastic". And the strong film-forming effect that can be mistaken for a "tension" of the skin. Saponificio Varesino uses waxes from Beta 4.2. But the supporting structure (core) remains the same in all evolutions. http://www.ilrasoio.com/viewtopic.php?p=395584#p395584 Here is a summary of previous versions. And a useful update given the new models, in the light of the current situation related to the reformulation process to Beta 4.3: Cera Carnauba (Copernica Cerifera) Settantesimo Anniversario Mirto di Sardegna Morado Cosmo Tundra Artica Dolomiti Desert Vetiver Cubebe Cera Carnauba + Cera Alba (Bee's Wax) Felce Aromatica Manna di Sicilia Opuntia Stella Alpina remains with Beta 4.2
All I know is that every time they reformulate a product, it improves. You can't say that about many other soap makers.
4.2 lathered better than 4.0, and 4.3 added additional slickness. I like the fact that they don't upgrade the base unless they feel the soap needs it, so you'll see version numbers all over the place with their soaps. I haven't tried the 4.3 Felce yet, only the 4.2. The Felce I had before that was 4.1, but I think my latest Cosmo was 4.3.
it lathers very well.when i bought it a few years back i believe it was the only one in 4.3,the 70 year anniversary stuff had just came out as well in 4.1
I agree. Just a more complex formula needs more time to get the best. More water, more lathering, more knowledge.
I recently tried Desert Vetiver, the scent is great, the soap has great mechanical characteristics and I love using it. Also the AF is great. I a waiting for Mirto di Sardegna. SV is really a top soap.
I just had someone on another forum tell me that they didn't "rate SV very highly." It was very hard to take that person seriously after that. I still consider SV to be one of a handful of soaps that is the equal of the very best tallow soaps, and probably one of the top ten shaving soaps ever made. I don't think there's many people who would disagree with that. One only has to look at a "top five shaving soaps" thread on any forum to see that SV features in quite a few people's top five. Edit: he didn't rate MWF very highly either, but that didn't offend me nearly as much as his dismissal of SV's performance.
He might be a cold water shaver, but I think it has more to do with him having 90 soaps in his rotation. He doesn't spend enough time with any one soap, long enough to master it. That's my opinion anyways. I don't know as I've ever tried 90 soaps in 20 years, let alone had that many in rotation. I'd rather spend money on razors than consumables.
This is a soap I have to try. I've looked at the available scents and I find the Manna Di Sicilia very appealing "Manna is the sap that derives from the incision made onto the Ash tree that has grown wild for many centuries in the dried and sun kissed island of Sicily. For Saponificio Varesino, the manna sap used in this collection comes from the Park of Madonie situated between the towns of Castelbuono and Pollina." Paul