An interesting tidbit of info on Castle Forbes. Perfumery at Castle Forbes Heritage with style: In 1996 the former dairy beside Castle Forbes was converted into the world's smallest perfumery to accommodate Jinny Forbes passion for scents and essential oils which she uses to complement her home. With the help of family friend and perfumer Andrew French, and using only the finest natural oils in the classical manner of Haute Parfumerie, the Castle Forbes Collection has evolved into an exclusive range of top-quality fragrances. Now it includes eau de parfums for ladies and eau de toilettes, shaving creams, pre- and after-shaves for men, as well as linen sprays, soaps and other gift items based on themes from within the castle itself.
+1 It's not really high if you consider the size and you only need very little to get a good lather, I have TOBs as well which I really like but I end up using more of it to get a good lather (it is softer) compared to Castle Forbes. T&H are great as well but it has parabens. CF is all natural, the glide, lather and protection are top notch, the fragrance used is essential oil, the lavender is my favorite. I have not tried any of Dr. Harris which I hear are great as well. There is also Xpec and ABC but the prices are high!
May be a bit old-schol here, but mine is Rise Super Foam-which is actually a modern day form of old-school Rise. Not quite the same Rise smell, but it clobbers the whiskers.
One thing I will avoid is a menthol shaving cream topped off with a menthol AS. Anyone else feel the same?
I've done menthol shave soap followed by a strong menthol AS (Fine 'snake bite')—but I've found sometimes thats a bit much. One must be careful or the face will turn reddish pink for an extended period.
I imagine that they consider themselves a commercial operation, as opposed to an artisan one. I doubt anyone on Etsy uses a building dedicated solely to the manufacture of perfumes (I don't think a backyard shed counts. )
I have to give my vote to The Maca Root cream from Body Shop. I think it is spectacular. I haven't tried the Mem Olive that everyone is talking about, so I can't compare. But judging by the reviews from this site alone, it ought to be right up there with the Maca Root cream. Rated just below, I find Trumpers, Erasmic, Fitjar and maybe an Arko cream to be contender for the second place. I almost forgot Castle Forbes. I have only a small sample, but it has given me a few great shaves
In The Art of Manliness, you can search for a thread called Manly Smells. Bacon is listed. But I agree-I won't shave with it.
For scent I like Old Spice. There are better creams, but the scent has me hooked. For summer: Ingrams. Very slick, and coool. For the best lather and shave: Speick-hands down.