I was surprised to not find an existing thread on Barrister & Mann shaving soaps, just a few mentions here and there. They had been on my "to try" list for several months, and I finally got around to making an order recently. Got Ferox, one of their tallow soaps scented with "grapefruit, sage, thyme, rosemary, tea tree, and vetiver," and First Snow (fir, leather and very light menthol) from their Tre Citta line, which has no tallow and is inspired by both Italian croaps and MdC. Both are fantastic performers, really high quality stuff as far as both lather and skin care. Hard for me to pick a winner between them. As far as the scents, they are extremely well crafted, and I only wish they were stronger. The main note I get from Ferox is thyme, and with First Snow it's fir. They both have other stuff going on, I just don't pick out the other scent oils individually. Nice scents that are too light is not something that will keep me from using them, or buying more, but I do wish they were stronger. But again, the overall quality is right up there with my favorite soaps. Wish I'd tried them sooner.
I used a Cheshire scented sample. I've used some artisan soaps that smell like they just used a premixed cheap perfume. Not this one.The scent is very masterfully done. I like the light scent because I have sensitive skin. I had zero burn with the Cheshire. In terms of performance it is top notch with lots of cushion, stability and moisturization- once you get it right. This is easily the thirstiest soap I've eve used. I've used some other so-called thirsty soaps before and even if I under watered they performed just fine. B and M however requires a fairly small window of water to soap ratio. I had some stability problems with the lather if I didn't get it right. There are plenty of other soaps I don't have to think about when lathering and perform just as well.
I have Cheshire, Roamin', Solstice.Seville and Vetiver, Heather & Clary Sage. The best scented artisan shave soaps in the USA. B&M lathers great and really protects my face and gives a good gliding surface. I consider it the best artisan shaving soap in the USA. Queen Charlotte Soaps would come next. Better lathering and scents that Mike's Natural. Better in every way than Stirling, though Stirling is much cheaper. You can't go wrong with Barrister & Mann. I haven't tried L A Shaving, so I can't compare.
I'd never heard of them. I'm a Boston boy, so next trip home, I'll stop in at the brick & mortar store/barbershop.
I've used Ferox twice now, and it is an excellent soap. The delicious scent is a peppery or spicy grapefruit, and the lather is top notch.
They just released two limited edition fougeres, Fougere Imperiale and Fougere Aromatique, that sound amazing. Of course I haven't sniffed either, but at the very least have very well written descriptions. Wasn't planning to buy any more soap for a while, but I caved and ordered a puck of the Imperiale.
So, after I caved and ordered the puck of Imperiale, later I caved again and ordered the Aromatique, too. Will was nice enough to combine shipping on the two orders, and they showed up today. After my shave, but I gave them each a test lather. They are more alike than I expected, more alike than different, I'd say, but both are really sophisticated, fantastic smelling soaps. I'd give the edge to the Imperiale, but just by a hair. I got both in his Tre Citta formula, which is a veggie soap in the style of MdC. I'd tried it before in a different scent, so knew the performance would be top notch. Nice stuff and I'm feeling less bad about what I paid for it now.
I got my tub of the tallow-based Fougere Aromatique yesterday and fired it up this morning. Made an easy and nicely scented lather. Lots of elasticity and tallowy goodness, combined with just the right amount of scent, imo. I loaded a Voshkod into my Gillette No.81 New, and had a great shave. This was my first try of Barrister and Mann, and I'm already a believer. I got the sample pack too, so I have lots of scents to try. Which is going to be trouble because I have a LOT of soaps yet to try, including the Fougere offering from Tiki Bar Soaps on the way. I might do a Fougere-a-Palooza with the LA Shaving Soap fougere, the Tiki and the B&M in a showdown when it arrives. Anyway, Barrister and Mann have hit the nail on the head with this soap, and I look forward to trying the others as well as their non-tallow versions in the future.
I love my b&m. They remind me of different seasons. Sevile takes me to my Childhood. Great stuff. Howevenr this go around going to try stirling.
Could it be that they have discontinued their "Nocturne" shaving soap? Or was that just a season scent?
The Barrister and Mann soaps are excellent performers for me. Amazingly easy to lather, rich, slick, great scents. I have the Roam, Vetiver/Heather/Clary Sage, and Ylang Ylang Tangerine (veggie based). Will and the folks at B&M deliver a great product. Highly recommended.
